A Hero's Legacy
by Guardian of the Will of Fire
Summary: This is my take on the 3rd Fable story. There will be drinking and sexual content in it. There just won't e and sex in in for a few chapters.
1. The First Steps

Hey guys. Long time no see. I decide to start writing a fable 3 story. That doesn't mean I have up on my fire emblem story though. I'm just taking the time to work on a different story for a bit. I'll probably continue my fire emblem story after a little bit. I'm thinking of revamping it a bit anyway.

I just want to warn you that the first chapter is a lot like the first few minutes of the game but it changes quite a bit after this. I just felt that it was fine the way it was for the most part.

We'll let's get down to it and start the story.

**Chapter 1: The first Steps**

The sun was shining brightly in the morning sky and the city below was slowly starting to wake. The sounds of factories coming to life and people starting to rise for the day's tasks. The sounds of life slowly drifted to the castle in the center of the city.

The castle was a marvelous sight. Its white marble already started to shine in the morning sun. The tops of the towers shone a deep blue and the dark purple flags flapped slowly in the peaceful wind of the morning. Sounds of birds could be heard tweeting in the castle garden, as they left their nests in search of food.

The peaceful morning air was broken by a sudden loud banging. The doors to the kitchen suddenly banged open and a chicken ran out. The white chicken barley dodged three cleavers that embedded themselves into the door with three loud thunks. The chief came running out after the escaped poultry with a musket in hand. The chicken was white but there were black soot stains all over its body.

The chicken ran toward the giant statue in the garden courtyard. The cook was shouting obscenities as he chased the chicken. The chicken was twenty feet from the statue when it hopped up in a vein effort to fly away.

The chief took that moment to aim his musket and fire. The bullet whizzed through the air and hit the chicken center mass. Some of the chicken's feathers blew off its body with a loud poof. The whole thing was over in a second.

A loud bang, a chicken shriek, and a loud poof. The chicken lay dead on the stone ground of the courtyard. The chief walked over to the chicken and picked it up by its feet. Making his was back to the kitchen, chicken in one hand and the musket on his right shoulder.

One of the towers overlooking the courtyard opened its red satin curtains. An elderly man in a blue suit looked out the window. He was in his late fifties and his name was Jasper. Jasper had long white hair with a single tuft standing on the crown of his head. His hair was reseeding and he had the rest was tied off in a ponytail, tied off with a dark blue bowtie.

Jasper's uniform was a dark blue petticoat with golden trimming. He had white satin gloves, a white ruffle undershirt, dark blue pressed pants, and formal black shoes that shined like mirrors.

Jasper's uniform was clean, pressed, and spotless. He also carried himself with a stern regal walk. He was the type of man that disliked anything to do with dust, dirt, or grim of any kind.

He went about his business opening the curtains to the windows, humming lightly as he went. He let out a sigh and opened another window. "What a dreadfully sorry sight" he muttered as he looked out onto the waking city.

There was a loud yawn from the other side of the room and Jasper clapped the dust off of his hands. "Such a beautiful day to waste in bed, don't you agree?" He looked to the bed at the other side of the room. A young man was lying in the bed with a red blanket covering all but his head.

He had short jet black hair cut short and a clean shaven face. Jasper walked to the last window and pulled open the curtains. The young man groaned loudly and used his hand to shield his eyes from the sudden light.

"Not yet Jasper, give me a few more minutes" the young man pleaded, throwing his pillow over his head.

"Now that is hardly the response of a prince. I'm afraid it is time to rise." Jasper said walking up to the bed. The prince rolled over and showed Jasper his back. Jasper bent over the other side of the bed and looked at the prince.

"With your permission, I shall wake your sleeping companion." Jasper gripped the covers and pulled them down. The blankets slid back to reveal a sleeping Doberman Pincher lying on the bed.

"Ah, yes. Ones heart soars before such regal bearing." Jasper spoke with sarcasm. The dogs eyes opened and he rolled onto his stomach. He looked up at Jasper and wagged his tail happily.

The prince rolled over and sat up. He pet the Doberman and then scratched his belly lightly. The dog rolled onto his back and whined happily as his belly was scratched.

"I trust you both slept well." Jasper sighed as he put his hands on his hips. "You have a busy day ahead." The prince scratched the dog a few more times then pat him on the stomach.

"Come on buddy. If I have to get up, then so do you." The prince slid over to the edge of the bed and set his feet on the floor. The Doberman rolled over and jumped off the bed next to Jasper. He sat down and looked up at Jasper with a happy expectant look on his face.

"It's not going to work this time. Don't bother looking at me like that." Jasper huffed at the dog. The dog gave him a pleading look and wagged his tail slowly. Jasper gave a heavy sigh.

"Oh, very well" He knelt down on one knee and pat the dogs head. "Good dog" He pat the dogs head a few times, the dog whining happily at him. The prince walked past Jasper, to the bathroom.

"What a pair… the kingdom is doomed" Jasper said straightening up and looking at the prince's back. The prince relieved himself and walked back into the bedroom. Jasper was standing in front of the fireplace with two mannequins dressed in regal clothes.

"I took the liberty to lay out two different style clothing for you to wear today. Lady Elise is most eager to speak to you this morning, and is waiting for you in the gardens this morning." The prince nodded and walked up to the mannequins.

The one on the left wore a blue uniform. It looked like a uniform that a high ranking Navy official might wear. It had golden trim, white gloves, matching blue boots, and white clean pants.

The other mannequin wore a white formal long sleeve shirt. It had light brown pants and matching brown gloves and boots. The prince took the clothes off that one and walked back to the bed. He proceeded to disrobe his pajamas and put on the clean clothes.

"A splendid choice if I do say so myself. I do believe that Lady Elise would approve more highly of that then of your pajamas." The prince pulled on the final boot and turned to the balcony door.

"Perhaps you'd better make your way to her now, so as not to keep her waiting any longer." The prince crossed the room and opened the doors. "And I would recommend avoiding your brother, King Logan today. Roomer has it he is in an ill temper today."

The Prince nodded and walked out of the room. The sun was clear and there was a slight breeze blowing through the air. He walked past the guards, who saluted him as he went by, and walked down the stone steps.

He stopped at the bottom of the steps and looked around. The garden already had a few nobles and guards walking about. The prince sighed heavily and looked to his right. There was a gardener tending to one of the many bushes and a few noble women sitting on one of the stone benches.

He walked past them, waving a simple greeting as he did, to the mausoleum at the edge of the garden. The mausoleum was set on the gardens edge, in the middle of an open area. The prince skirted around the right side of the mausoleum and walked to the gardens stone wall. There was a beautiful young lady standing at the garden wall, looking at the city below.

The Doberman ran up to her and barked happily. She turned around and knelt on the ground. The dog jumped on her and proceeded to lick her face. She let loose a light tinkling laugh as she scratched his head.

"Oh what a brave knight you are. Have you come to protect me?" The dog just stared at her and wagged his tail happily. "Oh you big softie. You'd be rubbish in a fight. Wouldn't you? Wouldn't you Drake." Drake just barked and gave her another lick.

"Well then I'll protect you, my lady." The prince walked up to her and held out his hand. Elise stood up and looked him up and down.

"Hmm. I don't know. You don't look so tough either." She crossed her arms and smiled at him playfully. "Hmm. Perhaps you can give me a demonstration of your abilities?" The Prince rolled his eyes and smiled at her.

He took her hand in his and lightly pulled her to him. As soon as she hit his chest, he gave her a smoldering kiss. Elise gave a small whimper and pulled his head closer to hers. She felt her cheeks flush and her inner temperature rose slightly.

She pulled away slowly and let out a pleasant sigh. "So what's the verdict" the price asked her still smiling. Elise blinked a few times and then came to her senses. "Not bad, not bad. I suppose you'll do Spike." He let out a small laugh and shook his head.

"I thought you'd never get up, I've been waiting so long. Did Jasper tell you that I wanted to talk to you?"

"Yes he did. Did something happen?" He looked at her with concern on his face and he took her hands in his. Elise gave him a grateful look before turning away.

"I'm not sure. It seems like everyone in the castle is upset with your brother at the moment. And it's even worse down in the city." She walked up to the railing and stepped on the lowest part of it. She looked down at the city and sighed.

"They say such terrible things about your brother. The latest rumor is that your brother had a factory worker executed this morning. I'm sure it's only a rumor but it won't stop all the talking."

She set her hands on the railing and looked back at him with concern. "All of the castle staff is anxious. I told them that you'd speak to them, maybe calm them down a bit. I'm afraid of what might happen if someone doesn't calm things down."

"If you think it'll help, then I will." Elise smiled at him and stepped off the railing. "I know they don't trust the king, but they still care for their prince." He presented her right hand to him. "So my Prince, will you escort me to the castle. Everyone is waiting for you."

Spike took her hand and gave it a kiss before taking it in his and turning to the castle. They walked to the stairs with Drake running ahead of them. "I just can't believe your brother would have a worker executed."

They climbed the stairs and Elise continued to talk. "I can't believe how much he's changed over the years. He's a lot stricter then he use to be, and he looks very tired." They made it to Logan's statue before Elise said anything else.

"I told Sir Walter about the speech and he said that he'd be there to support you. I don't know what the castle would be like without him here. I'm sure he'll want to continue with your instruction today. He seems so obsessed with combat training lately." They walked to the kitchen door and heard the workers gossiping.

The chief yelled at them to stop gossiping and turned around to see the prince standing there.

"Oh your highness, we're all anxious to here what you have to say on the matter. Whenever you're ready." Spike took a few steps forward and folded his hands behind his back.

"I know that things have been difficult for everyone here, and my brother has been too… preoccupied to change that. But I ask you to ignore any wild rumors you may hear."

He heard the door to his left open but continued with his speech, without looking at who entered the kitchen. "I promise to talk to my brother and see that he improves conditions for here and everyone outside the castle. I just ask for a little more patience."

He finished his speech and turned to see Walter leaning against the doorframe. Walter was dressed in his usual attire. He had a red shirt with blue and gold trim on the sleeves. He had dark blue pants and brown combat boots. He had a sword on his left hip, and his favorite mug strapped to his right.

"You call that a royal speech? You didn't shout at them, you didn't threaten anyone, and you were far too reasonable." Walter got off the door and walked up to Spike chuckling. "It was bloody marvelous."

Spike smiled at Walter and gave him a quick hug. "Right then, are you ready for today's training?" He gave Elise a nod and then turned to walk off. "Take good care of him Walter" Elise said like she was scolding him. Walter chuckled and walked off. Spike gave Elise a quick peck on the check and followed after Walter.

Walter waited until they were halfway down the hall before he started to talk to Spike. "I suppose you heard the latest rumors about your brother. I'm afraid that they're all true, no one knows what he'll do next." The exited out into another hallway.

"In the meantime, the mood in the castle is getting worse by the day. But I think that you have a knack for reaching out to people. Did you see the way they all looked up to you back there? The way they look up to a leader."

"But I'm not a leader Walter, my brother is. I'm just trying to help calm things down for him." Walter sighed and put his hand on Spike shoulder. "You are a leader though just like your brother and your Father."

They made their way to the entrance hall and saw a crowd of people standing behind velvet ropes. "There are a lot of people here to see your brother today. Poor sods." They made it to the front and say Laszlo standing at the front of the line.

"Sir Walter, what a stroke of luck. Would you mind signing my petition? We're trying to eradicate poverty on Albion. Too many of us suffer out on the streets and the King does nothing. He must be made to care."

Walter looked surprised for a second before he answered Laszlo. "Oh very well. I'm just an old soldier; I doubt my name would mean anything. But perhaps the Prince would care to help you out." Spike smiled and nodded to Laszlo.

He signed the petition and handed it back to Laszlo, who was just ecstatic. Spike and Walter walked away to the training room. Walter closed the doors and drew his sword. "That was a bold move you did just now. It might not work but at least your brother will see that you have a mind of your own."

He dropped into a fighting stance and looked at Spike. "Now let's see you put it to good use in combat." Spike smiled at him and drew a sword from one of the stands. He dropped into a fighting stance and locked eyes with Walter.

For a second all was still as they both stared the other down. Then with a flash, they started to duel. Walter and Spike swung strike after strike at each other, only to have it blocked by the other.

Their blades clashed together after a particularly strong swing. "Do you remember the stories I use to tell you. About your father the Hero and is adventures?" Walter swung down only to have Spike block it. "You never did tire of hearing them.

Spike rolled under another swing Walter aimed at his head. He swung his sword up at Walter, but Walter just sidestepped and laughed. "Do you remember what you use to say after each story" He swung the flat of his blade at Spike's back.

Spike blocked it without turning around and smiled. "Yes" he pushed Walter's sword away and spun to face him. Teach me how to be a Hero" he said as he swung rapidly at Walter.

Walter just backed away as he blocked each swung. Spike pressed forward but Walter didn't seem all that worried. He locked blades with Spike and laughed, "Every single time." He gave Spike a hard push and Spike slid across the floor, stopping ten feet away from Walter.

"I wish there was something more an old soldier like me could teach you." He paused for a moment before dropping into a defensive stance. "But I've done my best, and its time for you to show me your best. Strike me as hard as you can."

Spike sprinted forward to close the distance. Five feet from Walter he spun on his right foot swinging his blade with all his might. It came down with a loud clang and Walter deflected it with his blade. Spike's sword hit Walter's just above the hilt and Walter's blade snapped off from the sheer force of the hit. The Blade flew through the air before landing three feet away.

Walter looked at his broken sword in surprise for a minute before letting out a booming laugh. "You only went ant broke it! Look at that!" He pointed to his broke swords hilt. "Am I a great teacher or what?"

Spike just stared at the sword in shock, trying to figure out how he even did that. Walter beamed at him and let out another laugh. "Listen, there's something I need to-" Walter was cut short as Elise came bustling into the room, a look of fear on her face.

"Walter you have to come quick. The both of you." Walter's face fell into a serious expression. "What's happened Elise?" "It looks like there's a demonstration outside the castle." Spike looked from Elise to Walter, wondering what to do.

"This is not good" Walter ran out of the room with Elise and Spike right behind him. They made their way to the entrance hall, which was now clear of people. "They're right inside the castle grounds" Elise said as they ran to the nearest window. The three of them looked out the window to see a large group of people shouting outside the front door.

The weather had made a drastic change since they were last out there. The sky was a dark steel gray, with rain pouring from the sky by the buckets. There was lightning streaking across the sky and loud booming thunder every few seconds. But the people were still out there shouting and jeering about Logan's rule.

"Balls, I should have known this would happen. I don't think they realize what your brother is capable of. This isn't going to end well." They saw people with banners spanning from 'Logan Must Die!' to 'Free Albion's People!' Spike and Elise looked at the crowd nervous of what would happen next. "It's been a long time since your brother Logan listened to me, but I should find him." He turned to them and gave a stern look.

"You to stay here, there's still something we need to talk about" Then he ran off up the main stair to look for Logan. They watched his retreating form until he was out of sight. "We can't just stand here. I have a horrible feeling about this." She looked at Spike with pleading eyes. "We have to do something."

Spike looked back at the crowd and then at Elise, worry painted across his face. "Look" Elise pointed up the stairs. "The guards have moved from the stairs. We should follow Walter, and find out what your brothers going to do." Spike nodded and grabbed Elise's hand again.

They reached the top of the stairs but didn't see a single person down any of the halls. "They must be in the war room." Spike led them down the hall to their right. They ran down to the end of the hall and took a sharp left. They stopped three feet from the closed door and crept right up to it.

Elise pressed her eye to the keyhole on the left and Spike to the one on the right. "Think about what you're doing Logan." They heard Walter pleading with the King. Walter was facing the door only ten feet away from it. Logan had his back to them and was only five feet away. They saw three of Logan's personal guard surrounding the two men.

"I am protecting the interests of the people. Do not question me again!" Logan shouted at Walter, waving his left hand in front of himself. He turned to the nearest guard. "You will shoot to kill. Start with the ringleaders, and if necessary, continue with the crowd."

Elise let out a gasp and Spike tightened his hands into fists. Walter stepped toward Logan anger etched across his face. "This is wrong, you can't do this!" The guard behind his suddenly lifted his rifle and bashed it into Walter's right knee.

Walter hit the floor with a loud thump and a shout of pain. Logan pointed to Walter's kneeling form. "Never tell me what I can't do." Walter looked up at Logan, still on all fours on the floor. Elise tore her gaze from the keyhole and looked at Spike.

"Walter. We can't let him kill all those innocent people." Spike looked at Elise's scared face, still shocked at his brother's words. "You're his brother, maybe he'll listen to you." She grabbed his shoulders, bringing his face close to hers.

"We have to do something." Spike looked at the door and then back at Elise. He saw the fear in her eyes, the concern at not knowing what to do. Spike grabbed the doorknob and opened the door.

He burst into the room to see a shocked Walter still kneeling on the floor and his brother who had a stern and angry look on his face. "What are you doing here?" Logan spat, anger laced in every word. "The war room is no place for a child. Leave now!" He commanded pointing at Spike.

Spike seized up his courage and looked at his brother defiantly. "I'm here to stop you brother. You can't kill all those innocent people." Logan looked at his brother astonishment on his face. Spike had never talked back to him.

Spike always did what Logan told him to do. Throughout their childhood, all Spike ever did was admire his brother. He would never question him, or even argue with him. Logan couldn't understand why his brother changed or where his defiance came from.

"No, wait…" Walter pleaded still holding his throbbing knee. Logan looked from Walter to Spike. "Enough" he said with a tone of finality in his voice. "How dare you turn against me!" He stared Spike down, a flicker of madness in his eyes.

"Perhaps you believe you should be the one making these decisions. You really wish to defend those traitors? Then so be it!" He lifted his right hand and balled it into a fist signaling his guards to grab them. Spike and Elise didn't even have time to turn, when they felt hands grabbing them from behind.

"Let us see how you do!" Logan spat as Spike and Elise struggle against their captors. Spike looked at Logan with fear and Elise glared at Logan with hate filled eyes. "Take my brother and his friend to the Throne room. We shall settle this matter officially." He commanded the guards who nodded at him before pulling Spike and Elise away.

Spike and Elise were marched into the throne room surrounded by guards. "Move!" one of them shouted shoving the two of them forward. Elise lost her footing and hit the floor with a gasp. She felt the wind get knocked out of her and her head felt like it was spinning for a minute.

"Leave her alone!" Spike shouted, kneeling down to help her up. The guard just laughed and waited for them to move. He grasped Elise's hand and she lifted her head slowly. "I-I'm alright, I just had the wind knocked out of me." Spike rubbed her hand soothingly and she looked up at him.

"Don't worry. Whatever happens, we'll get through this together." He helped her up and squeezed her hand reassuringly. The guard shoved Spike and shouted at them to keep walking. Spike and Elise walked down the mostly empty throne room and stopped fifty feet from the Kings throne.

"Here come the saviors of the people now." Logan said in an insulting manor. He was sitting on the throne in a leisurely position, leaning to his right. "Come closer, brother." Spike looked at Elise for a moment and then began to walk closer to Logan. Elise held his hand as long as possible until Spike walked out of her reach.

"Today you have disappointed me beyond measure." Logan spoke with a mock sadness in his voice. "I have been betrayed by my own blood and a filthy spy!" Logan shifted to his left and stared down at Spike with anger. Elise was clutching her hands to her chest in worry, not knowing what she could do to help Spike.

"We did nothing wrong!" she finally said finding her voice. "Punishment must be apportioned where it belongs!" Logan shouted slamming his right hand down and shooting up off the throne. Walter looked on helplessly to the left of the throne, fear all over his face.

"Punish me then" Spike said taking another step forward motioning his hand to his chest. Elise froze and Walter looked at Spike in shock. You are no longer a child" Logan said stepping down the thrones steps. "And it is time I stopped treating you as one. You wish to save these traitors." Logan said motioning toward a group of people to

Spike's right.

"The ones who had gathered outside the castle this morning. Very well. You shall have your chance." He took a few more steps, his gaze never leaving Spike's face. "Here stands the leaders of the violent mob." He stopped in front of Spike looking at his slightly shorter brother.

"I will give you a choice. Who will be punished? These strangers" he paused for a second. Spike saw a gleam or cruelty in his brother's eyes. "Or this girl" he said pointing to Elise. A sudden look of horror came across Spike and Elise's faces. "The sentence will be death."

Walter found his voice at last and he took a step towards Logan. "What?" Spike put his arm up in front of Logan so as to shield Elise from him. Logan continued to walk forward, Spike backing away still holding his arm up. "No… this can't be…" Logan motioned toward Spike, amusement in his voice. They stopped two feet away from Elise, Spike breathing heavily.

"You are the prince. Decide!" Walter took another step forward. "Your majesty. Logan. Please." Logan ignored him and stared Spike down. "I am giving you power over life and death." Spike shook his head in protest. "No! I won't do this!" he said reaching for Elise's hand.

Logan gave him a disgusted look before speaking again. "If you can't choose, then I will. They will all be executed!" Elise let out a strangled whimper and the ringleaders cried in horror.

"So tell me brother, what are you willing to sacrifice to do the right thing?" Spike looked pleadingly at his brother, but Elise glared at Logan. "This is madness! We can't – we just can't—" She looked at Spike sadly and he shook his head.

"Choose me. You can't let them all die." Spike closed his eyes and shook his head violently. Elise brought her hand to his face and turned his head to look at her. Spike opened his eyes and Elise saw the tears starting to form in them. Her ocean blue eyes met his dark brown eyes.

"Choose me" she said tears forming in her eyes as well. Spike looked from Elise to the ringleaders, then back to her. He felt his heart beating loudly in his chest. All he could hear was the beating of his own heart and nothing else.

Time stood still as he finally made his decision. Spike took one last look at Elise and he gave her a sad smile. "I've decided brother." Logan looked at him a sadistic smile on his lips. "Well then, who will it be?"

Spike looked at him defiantly and took a deep breathe through his nose. "Me" Spike finally answered never breaking eye contact with his brother. For a moment all was still as no one as able to process what Spike hade just said.

"What?" Logan finally said looking at Spike full of surprise. "I choose me brother." Spike said confidently. "Chorley my life as the prince is worth that of a few commoners and a lady of nobility." Logan just looked at Spike like he grew another head. "Your life isn't one of the choices I gave you."

"But it's an even trade. You get to punish someone, Elise and the others go free, and none of the innocents get hurt." Spike said speaking to Logan as if he was a small child not understanding why two plus two equals four.

"No Spike, don't do this! It should be me! You know it should be me!" Elise started shouting. Walter didn't know what to say and tried to reach Spike. Logan's guards grabbed both of them and pulled them away from Spike and Logan. Elise and Walter tried to fight off the guards but to no avail.

Logan looked at his brother and Spike could see nothing but sadness in his eyes. "You are sure then brother?" Logan asked hoping Spike would change his mind or choose one of the other two choices. Spike just looked up at him with a sad smile and nodded.

Logan finally turned and walked back to the throne. "Very well! Let the peasants and the girl go. Captain bring me my pistol." One of the guards nodded and pushed the ringleaders out of the room. Walter and Elise kept shouting at Logan, pleading him not to go through with it.

The guard came back into the room and handed Logan a pistol with a single shot. Logan took it from him and aimed down at Spike's chest. "Good-bye brother" Logan said and for a second it looked like he might have shed tears.

Two guards walked over to Spike and grabbed his arms as if to subdue him. Spike didn't even bother to put up a fight and just held his arms up for them. Spike nodded grimly at Logan before turning his head to look at Elise. She was crying now, shouting at the top of her voice, screaming for Spike to change his mind. Spike felt his tears break through and he sniffled a little.

He locked eyes with Elise, staring into those eyes he came to love so much. He whispered three words to her, and she heard them, despite all the shouting. "I Love you" and then there was a loud bang.

The bullet whizzed out of the gun and hit Spike right in his chest. Spike fell to the floor in a crumpled heap and there was a loud shriek. Elise and Walter broke free of the guards and ran to Spike's body. Elise clutched his head to her chest and was sobbing loudly.

Walter was staring down at Spike in disbelief. How could this have happened, how could he let Spike sacrifice himself for all of them. He fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "And that is the end of it" Logan finally said. Lowering his pistol and turning to leave.

"HOW COULD YOU!" Elise shrieked looking at Logan with pure unadulterated anger. "HE WAS YOUR BROTHER! HE WAS YOUR BROTHER! HOW COULD YOU! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS! NEVER!" Logan just stared at her for a minute and then started to walk away. He stopped at the door and looked at the guard to his left.

"Let them finish mourning and then see them out of the castle. I never want to see either of them again." He then exited the room and the guards closed the doors.

It was a couple of hours before all anyone could do anything but cry. Jasper was brought down to the throne room by one of the guards. He was frozen to the spot when he saw Spike's body. He looked from Walter to Elise hoping that one of them would be able to tell him that his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Walter just knelt there, his arms hanging uselessly at his sides. Elise was still holding Spike's head to her chest, sobbing uncontrollably. Jasper was finally able to make his legs move and carry him to the rest of them.

When they were finally able to get control of themselves, Jasper and Walter slowly stood up. Walter put his hand on Elise's shoulder and she turned to look at him. "You should go home now Elise." She shook her head defiantly and kept her grip on Spike.

"There's nothing you can do for him now. He'd want you to be safe. Go home to your family." "B-b-but w-what about y-you an-and Jasper?" She said her voice sore and crackling from all yelling she had done earlier.

"We'll bring him to his parent's grave and then we leave the castle for good."

So what do you guys think of my first chapter so far? You guys can always let me know how you feel about it in a review. I just ask that you try make the reviews as informative and as least criticizing as possible.


	2. Caves and Bats

It took a few more minutes of Walter's pleas for Elise to agree with him. "Only if I can come with you to the mausoleum." She sniffled a few times and whipped away her tears. Walter nodded his agreement and knelt down.

He put his arms under Spike's knees and shoulders. He stood up with a grunt, holding Spike close to his chest. Spike's head lolled back over Walter's arm. The three of them turned and walked to the throne room's doors.

The walk was slow and tortures with every step they took. Their hearts ached with every step and their lungs burned with every breathe they took. Even Drake seemed to be in pain. He whined every few steps and walked at Jasper's heel.

They walked out into the main hall to find it quiet and devoid of a single person. They walked down the steps, their footsteps muffled by the carpet the only sound. They reached to bottom of the stairs and turned left.

"What are you going to do when you leave?" Walter shook his head at Elise's question. "I don't know child. I don't know."

They fell into silence as they reached the gardens. Rain fell from the sky as if the sky was mourning the fallen prince. They made their way to the mausoleum and walked down to the door.

They entered the tomb and saw two stone coffins in the center of the circular room. On the far side of the room, there was a statue of a giant hooded angel with her hands folded over her heart. Elise looked at the statue and felt a tingle run down her spine.

The figure looked oddly familiar to her. Walter walked in between the two coffins and knelt down. He lay the prince down gently on the floor before standing up slowly. Elise walked up to Spike's body and knelt down to him.

She placed her hand on his face and kissed his forehead lightly. "I love you Spike, now and forever." She stood up and turned to Walter. He opened his mouth to say something when he was slapped in the face.

Jasper let out a light gasp and Drake lowered his ears against his head. Elise looked at him with fresh tears in her eyes. "You were supposed to take care of him." Without another word she ran out of the mausoleum.

Jasper walked up to Walter and put his hand on his shoulder. "She's just upset. She didn't mean it Walter." Walter sighed and looked down at Spike. "I know Jasper, but I still think she's right." He looked at the late king's coffin and he felt new tears form.

"I'm sorry old friend; I couldn't fulfill my promise to you." Jasper Knelt down to Spike and placed his hands on Spike's shoulders. Then he ran his hands over Spike's shirt, as if the smooth out the wrinkles.

"At least his shirt didn't stain." Jasper said wiping his eyes with his hand. Walter suddenly stiffened when he heard that. He looked down at Spike in shock.

"What? What's wrong Walter?" Walter just ignored Jasper and knelt down to the floor. "Of course! Why didn't I see it before?!" "What are you talking about Walter?"

"Don't you see Jasper? He was shot in the chest but there isn't any blood. How is that possible?" Walter reached to Spike's shirt and gripped the collar. He pulled the shirt down, past the bullet hole. For the first time, they saw a glint of gold.

Where the bullet struck, a small gold pendant lay on his chest. The bullet was embedded in the center of it. The pendant was strung on a thin golden chain. It was so thin that no one noticed it.

Jasper slowly reached his hand forward and touched the metal. Spike's eyes snapped open and he let out a loud gasp, sitting up as if electrified. Jasper fell backwards in shock and Walter just froze up. Drake gave a loud bark and ran around in a circle while Spike clutched his chest and took a few heavy gasps.

They all just sat there as Spike took heavy gasps of air. Spike winced in pain and looked down at his chest. His hand moved away and he saw his pendant. His hand closed around the metal and he lay back down slowly.

"Your highness, I'm overjoyed that you yet live. But where did you get that pendant? I've never seen it before." Spike just lay there and pointed to his mother's coffin. Walter finally found his voice and let out a booming laugh.

"You have got to have a guardian angel looking out for you son." Spike just smiled and sat up. "Are Elise and the others okay?" Walter nodded and helped Spike up. "We need to get out of here. Your brother's worse off then I thought."

"His rule will only lead to more chaos and death. This kingdom needs a change. It needs a revolution, it needs a new leader, it needs a hero." Walter looked at Spike expectantly.

Spike's face fell at Walter's words. "I can't Walter. No matter what he's done, he's still my brother." Spike's hand tightened over the pendant.

"I know you don't want to fight him, but there's no other way. You might think family is important, but Logan doesn't. He didn't even hesitate to shoot you, his own brother." Jasper put his hand on Spike's shoulder.

"I know you don't want to fight Logan, but think of all the people suffering under his rule." Spike let out a sigh and nodded his head slowly. He set his left hand down and pushed off the floor.

Spike stood up slowly and was hunched down when it happened. He felt pain flash across his chest and he let out a hiss. He fell to his knees and Walter rushed to his side. "Are you alright?"

Spike nodded vigorously and coughed a few times. Walter helped him up slowly but held on to his arm just in case. Jasper was holding Drake back so he wouldn't jump on Spike or hurt him unintentionally.

"What do we do now Walter? It's not like we can walk back out of here. My brother thinks I'm dead. I don't think he'll be too happy I'm still alive." Walter chuckled lightly at that.

"No I suppose not." "This is no laughing matter Walter! We can't stay here either. We have no food, no water, not even a change of clothes." Jasper was shouting and looking around franticly. Drake just sat there and looked at Jasper.

"Not to worry Jasper" Walter patted Jasper on the back. "There is a secret passage out of here somewhere. Though I'm not entirely sure where." He added under his breathe. Spike just kept looking at the statues face.

He slowly walked up to it while Walter and Jasper kept looking around. He reached out his hand and touched the statues knee. There was a blue flash that surged through Spike's eyes.

"Wha-" Jasper was about to say something but Walter put his hand out in front of him. He shook his head but kept his eyes fixed on Spike's back. Spike looked to the right and slowly walked to the column. He ran his hands across the columns base until he reached the middle.

He placed his right hand on the middle brick and pushed it. The brick slide back and Spike kept pushing until there was a loud click. The statues arms fell forward until they were an inch from the floor.

They were suspended off the floor by a chain connected to its wrists leading into its chest. In the statues palms was a small circular disk. The disk was dark blue with a golden insignia in the center of it.

"That's your father's Guild Seal. He said it was his most prized possession. He told me that these Seals choose people they deem worth. Those they believe have the potential to become legends."

Spike walked up to the Seal and reached out his hand. His left hand grasped the seal and he felt an immediate surge go up his arm. The seal shook in his hand and Spike held it tighter.

The Seal shook with unyielding force and Spike felt his grip loosen. Right before he left like it would rip out of his hand, everything suddenly stopped.

Spike blinked and he was no longer in the Catacombs. He was in front of a giant wrought iron gate. He could see a long winding path beyond it and mist throughout the air. In front of the gate stood a lone woman dressed in a maroon red robe.

"Who are you? What's going on?" Spike looked around wildly but the mist concealed everything from his sight.

"I am Theresa, the seer of the Spire. I guided your father in his greatest triumph. And I am here now to lead you to your destiny." She kept her hands folded in front of her waist and her head down. The hood of her robes blocked most of her face from view.

"What are you talking about? What destiny?" Spike was getting agitated and the serene atmosphere round him did nothing to ease his nerves. "I'm saying that the fate of Albion rests on your shoulders."

"This is the road you must take" she motioned to the path behind her with her left hand. "At the end, is the kingdom you were born to rule." She took a step toward Spike and held up her hand.

"But it won't be easy. Like any Hero's journey, it will be filled with peril and danger. That is not all though, the gates won't open for just you alone. You need to gain followers and the support of the people, if you are to succeed.

Spike just shook his head in disbelief. "This is impossible, I can't be a Hero. I don't even want to be a King, let alone save the kingdom." "But you must. Without you, Albion and its entire people will be destroyed.

"For now, you have the support of two friends. Jasper, who will serve you unquestionably. And Sir Walter Beck, who will be your greatest ally. You have taken the first step of your journey with their help, and it is enough to open the first gate."

Theresa vanished and the gate behind her swung open. The mist cleared enough for Spike to see a path leading to another gate. In front of the gate was an unopened chest. Spike

finally made his legs move, and he slowly walked to the chest.

The chest had only one marker on the top, a circular red ball of fire. Spike placed both hands on the top and slowly pushed it open. The chest was empty except for a single glove.

Spike picked up the glove and inspected it. The glove was made of brown leather and had the same symbol that was on the chest. It had the fingers cut halfway up and it was almost weightless.

Spike pulled the old glove off his right hand and he slid the new one on. The glove was warm to the touch and fit perfectly on his hand. Theresa suddenly appeared to Spike's left, smiling.

"You have a great power inside of you. You merely lack the means in which to unleash it. The gauntlet you now posses will help you channel the magic within you. Use it in your parent's tomb. It will help you open the way out of the castle."

The chest disappeared and Spike kept looking at the gauntlet. "You will return here when you have gathered enough followers to unlock the next gate. But for now, Walter and Jasper are waiting for you. You must enter the portal to return to them."

Theresa disappeared again and a giant smoke version of the guild seal appeared before him. Spike walked forward and there was a blinding flash of white.

Spike blinked and shook his head. When his vision returned, he was standing back in the same spot he was when he touched the guild seal. Walter and Jasper looked at him expectantly and Drake wagged his tail at Spike.

"Well? Do you feel any different?" Spike looked at them and then back at his new gauntlet. He turned his hand over a few times and then looked up. There was a stone symbol at the foot of his parent's coffins.

IT was the guild seal carved in stone, set into the floor. Spike walked over to it and ran his foot over the stone. It felt solid and it didn't look like it was moveable. Spike stood on it and looked down.

He concentrated on his gauntlet and he balled his hand into a fist. He felt a warm tingle in his fingers and then it spread to his whole hand. He felt the heat build and grow in intensity.

He let the power fill the gauntlet until it felt like it couldn't hold any more. He opened his eyes and slammed his fist down onto the stone seal. A ring of fire shot up around him in a circle, reaching two feet high.

There was a loud rumble and the floor in between the two coffins began to split open. "It bloody worked" Walter shouted laughing in surprise. Jasper and Drake just looked on in surprise.

The floor opened to a set of stairs and a path leading deeper into the tomb. "I never doubted you for a second Sir" Jasper said as if trying to quash any doubt in their minds. "Well neither did I. But it's still amazing to watch."

Spike felt a small smile grace his lips and he walked down the stairs. "Rather a small path it is. Rather dark too." Walter said nervously walking slowly behind Spike.

"You never did like dark places did you Walter?" Jasper said walking calmly behind Walter. "I never liked getting poked in the eye or having my head chopped off. What of it?" He snapped back at Jasper.

"Oh dear. I seem to have struck a nerve." "How about I strike a butler on the bounce?!" Spike stopped suddenly and turned around. "Enough fighting you two. Jasper, leave Walter alone. And Walter, I know you're uncomfortable. But that's no reason to take it out on Jasper."

The two nodded glumly and gave a simple 'sorry.' Spike turned and continued to walk with Drake at his heels. The tunnel opened up into a huge cavern. Walter ran to the edge and inhaled deeply.

"Ah, now this is more like it. Grand, spacious, a plentiful supply of oxygen. Just the way a Castle's escape rout should be." Spike chuckled and followed the path as it bent to the left.

They walked for a few minutes until Jasper voiced his concerns. "I hesitate to ask but what is our plan? Other then simply leaving the castle, which I wholly agree with." "Simple, we have to stop Logan" Walter said not even stopping to look at Jasper.

"How am I going to do that Walter? Even if I am a hero, I'm just one man. I can't fight an army by myself." "Exactly. That's why we need to find allies to help us. We'll need lots of them to help us fight. But for that, they'll need a symbol to rally behind. They need a person to lead them. Albion needs nothing short of a revolution."

They walked on in silence until they were attacked by a swarm of bats. Walter pulled out his sword and swung at them while Jasper ran in a circle with his hands over his head. Drake jumped up and down wildly, snapping at any bat he could.

Spike partially charged his gauntlet and thrust he hand forward. A fireball shot forward out of his hand and hit a group of bats. It exploded on contact and killed at least five of them. They fought like that for a few minutes until all of the bats were either dead or fleeing.

"Did you see that Jasper? He handles that power like a true hero." "Yes, yes. I'm sure your father would be very proud of you sir." "Well I know I am. And I'm proud of you too old friend. I've never seen a man cower with so much grace." Walter shot at Jasper with a chuckle.

"It is merely a matter of hygiene!" Jasper shot back in a flustered tone. "Bats are filthy creatures!" Walter just chuckled as they pressed forward. They made it to the bottom of the chasm when they were attacked by another group of bats.

Spike alternated between shooting fireballs and bringing up walls of fire as he fought them. They fought off the second group of bats with ease and continued on the path. They made it to a stone archway with a rusted old grate lying in a pool of water.

A foul pungent odor met them as they moved through the archway. "You might want to cover your noses from here on out. It looked like we're going into the Bowerstone sewers from here on out." Walter said holding his nose.

Jasper let out a sigh of disgust and held his nose. Spike covered his mouth and nose with his left hand and held out his right, ready to summon more fireballs if needed. Drake just ran around as if there was nothing wrong with walking into a sewer.

They made it a few steps in when they were assaulted by a third group of bats. Drake started to jump up at them again, splashing sewage all around. Jasper gave a shout of horror as his legs were splattered with muck.

Walter just kept swinging away at the bats, ignoring the sewage as it hit his clothes. Spike was getting annoyed with all the bats and his chest was starting to hurt again. He charged his gauntlet up and fired a 2 foot fireball at the bats.

The air was filled with the smell of charred flesh as the fire incinerated most of the bats in the blink of an eye. The bats retreated and the group began its trek into the sewers yet again.

Jasper made a comment about them being under Bowerstone Industrial but Spike just ignored him. His chest was hurting more and more, and it felt like a knife was scraping the inside of his ribcage.

He felt sweat pour down his face and it was getting harder to breathe with every step. They found a hole in the stone tunnel leading to another cavern. The path stretched a little further in and stopped a few feet into the cavern.

At the end of the path was a pedestal with another Guild Seal carved into the stone. The only difference was this one was painted blue and gold instead of just being etched into the stone.

Spike stepped on it and looked at Walter. "Why is this one different then the other?" Walter looked down at the seal and his eyes lit up in joy. "This looks like a Cullis Gate. Your father told me about these a long time ago. The hero's of old would use them to travel vast distances in the blink of an eye."

Jasper stepped on it and looked at it too. "I was under the impression that the Cullis gates were all gone." "Well it looks like there's still one left at least." Spike took a breathe and felt his chest contract in pain.

"How do we activate it Walter? Will it work the same way as the other seal?" "Well there is only one way to fond out." Spike nodded and charged his gauntlet with another burst of fire.

He slammed his fist down and the gate let out a bright light. The light enveloped them all and they felt the floor fall out beneath them. They were suspended in air for a few seconds before they felt ground beneath their feet again.

The light died down and they saw that they were now inside an old circular room. It had five doorways spread out across the wall. The center of the room had a large circular table and piles of books all over the place. The entire room was covered in dust and cobwebs; it looked like no one had set foot in here in years.

"This must be… it is. It's your father's sanctuary. He use to speak of it, but I never though it was actually a real place." Walter walked up to the table and looked at its surface. There was a single book lying on the table and Walter picked it up to read the cover.

"Well I don't believe it. Jasper this book has a note with your name on it look." Jasper walked up to him and looked at the book. "That's not possible." He grabbed the book and read the note.

"It seems as if the old king left this here for you. What's it called?" Jasper opened the book and read a few lines. "It's called 'The book of Hero's' how extraordinary." He kept reading it and walked to one of the piles of books. He sat down on it, ignoring the dust covering the books.

"Does that book of yours tell you how we can get out of here?" Walter said leaning against the table. Spike stood still on the Cullis gate, his arm holding his side in pain. It was almost impossible to breathe without feeling pain in his chest.

"This is most remarkable. Everything we would ever want to know about Hero's in right here in these pages." Jasper read a few more pages before he stood up. He walked to the table and set the book down on it.

This table is actually a map of Albion. It functions as a traveling mechanism. You simply choose where you want to go and it should take you there." Walter looked back at the table and blew at it hard.

Dust flew up in clouds to show that Jasper was right. It blew away to reveal everything, from the mountain's snowy peaks to the deep blue waves of the ocean. "Marvelous! We can use this."

Spike suddenly felt his vision blur and his chest contract painfully. He let out a sharp gasp and his body lurched forward. Walter and Jasper turned in time to see Spike fall onto the map with a low thud.

"Sir!" they both ran to him and lifted him off the map. The lowered him to the ground and Walter put his ear to Spike's chest. "He's still breathing" he pulled Spike's shirt off and they both froze.

There was a giant red bruise spread across Spike's chest. "It seems that Logan's bullet did more damage than we though. Jasper, go see if you can find any bandages or a health potions laying around."

Jasper ran out of the room while Walter balled Spike's shirt up and used it as a pillow for his head. Jasper came running back into the room with a dusty white bed sheet and s small dusty red bottle.

"I couldn't find any bandages but I did find a bed sheet." "That'll work" Walter took the sheet and began to rip it into strips. "Beat the dust off of these and pour some of the potion onto the bandages." Jasper took the strips and hit them a few times, sending dust everywhere.

He poured half of the potion on the sheet and handed it back to Walter. Walter took the strip and wrapped it around Spike's chest. He wrapped another two strips diagonally across Spike's chest.

"Jasper, lift his head so we can pour the rest in his mouth." Jasper lifted Spike into a sitting position and handed Walter the bottle. "Let's hope that potions don't have an expiration date."

He then poured the potion in Spike's mouth and they waited with baited breathe. Spike took a large gasp of air and then lay still. Walter put his ear to Spike's chest.

"He's breathing fine, I think it worked." Jasper gave off a sigh of relief and Walter stood up. "We'll let him rest for now; we're all pretty tired right now. I'll watch him for a few hours and let you get some sleep."

Jasper nodded and walked back into the room he ran into before. He came back a few minutes later with a couple of old moth-eaten blankets. They both sat down with their backs against the map.

They switched on and off for the next few hours on who watched Spike and who got some sleep.


	3. The Real World

It was an early time of day, the sun had not risen yet, and all was still and quiet. Walter sat in complete silence watching Jasper and Spike sleep. Jasper was slumped against the Albion map; his head slumped to his right shoulder. Drake was lying next to Spike, with his head on Spike's lap. Walter was sitting next to the Cullis Gate, his weapons at his side.

He was just starting to nod off when Spike suddenly stirred. He let out a low groan and his eyes opened slowly. Walter jumped up and rushed to Spike's side.

"How are you feeling lad?" Spike looked around in confusion.

"What the hell happened?" He moved to sit up but winced as his chest throbbed in pain.

Walter put his hand on Spike's shoulder, to stop him from rising again.

"You collapsed on the map while we were looking at the map." Drake lifted his head up and looked at his master. He let out a happy bark and wagged his tail in joy. Jasper jumped as the sudden bark startled him awake. He saw that Spike was up and hurried to his side.

"How are you feeling young master?" Spike gave a nod and grabbed Walter's wrist. Walter let go of his shoulder and moved his hand behind Spike's back.

He helped Spike sit up slowly and Jasper moved to Spike's other side to help. Spike sat up and lightly touched his chest. He looked down and saw bandages and the edge of a bruise under them.

He hooked two fingers under the bandages and lifted them slightly.

"Well, that's pretty" he put the bandages back and grabbed the edge of the map. He pulled himself up and looked around.

"What were you saying before I collapsed Walter?" He held his arm close to his chest and he looked at Walter expectantly.

"You shouldn't be moving just yet, your wound isn't fully healed." Jasper held his shoulders lightly. Spike shook his head and gave Jasper a small smile.

"There's no time for that yet. We need to start collecting allies and provisions. I'll take it slow but we can't stop moving." Walter chuckled lightly and there was a merry twinkle in his eyes.

"He's right Jasper; we need to keep moving forward. Our first stop will be the mountains of Mistpeak. The people there would be great allies to our cause. It won't be easy to getting their support, no matter how much they despise Logan. It will take no less than a Hero to secure their aid.

It's called Dwellers camp and it's in the mountains." Walter pointed to where the settlement was located. It was clear across the map. It was half way up the mountains on the eastern shore.

"Very good, I however will remain here. I will further acquaint myself with this Sanctuary. No doubt we will need to use its full facilities soon." Spike laughed a little and Walter just smiled at him.

"Ok Jasper. We'll get some supplies at the dweller Camp and bring them back to stock up the Sanctum. Now how do we get there" Jasper picked up the book and flipped through a few pages.

"It appears that your seal works as a portal. You simply pick a place on the map and concentrate some of your magic or will as it's called into the seal. It will then teleport you to your destination."

"But Jasper, I've never been anywhere but the Castle and its grounds. How am I going to teleport to the Dweller Camp?" Spike looked at him puzzled and Walter looked at the map deep in thought.

Jasper flipped through the pages again, he read the words under his breathe as he went. He finally stopped and smiled.

"Aha! It says here that you can take others with you but only from one Cullis Gate to another. It will also let you teleport to other Cullis gates of your choosing. It appears the old king wrote down the location of all the Cullis gates that are left.

It appears there are only two left that we know of. One is the one we used, and the other is at the outskirts of the Dweller camp. It appears your father left it in the care of the Dwellers for safe keeping."

Spike shook his head with a smile on his face. He looked at the ground, searching for his shirt. He turned around and saw Drake wagging his tail at Spike. Spike's shirt hanging from his mouth. Spike took his shirt from Drake and patted his head lightly.

"Let's get going Walter." He slowly pulled his shirt over his head and walked to the Cullis gate. Walter gave Jasper a small pat on the back and walked to the gate. Spike turned to Jasper and waited for Drake and Walter to step onto the gate.

"See you in a bit old friend." Spike charged up a fireball and activated the gate. The three of them were enveloped in light and then disappeared. Jasper turned around and looked at the dusty room.

"Now to get some cleaning done."

Spike felt the same weightless feeling the first time he used the Gate. He felt his body float through the air and then the sudden rush of ground beneath his feet. The light faded to reveal a snowy mountainside.

The Cullis gate was clear of trees and there was a set of stairs leading forward. The sun was starting to peak over the horizon and cast the landscape in a yellow glow. The Dweller camp looked to be nothing more than simple huts set in clearings in the forest. Some had wheels and looked like old wagons that were missing wheels or had holes in their roofs.

Other huts just looked like they fell into disrepair and were never fixed. Spike saw people starting to rise for the day ahead. Some opened stalls while others grabbed axes or baskets to forage with.

"Brrr, I've forgotten how bloody cold it is up here." Walter rubbed his arms, trying to generate more heat. Drake barked and jumped into a pile of snow. Spike and Walter walked down the steps slowly.

"This place may not look like much, but this is where our revolution begins. The people here are tough, loyal, and they hate your brother's guts. Look at what your brother has reduced them to. I know they had a hard time finding food, but I didn't know that it was this bad."

There were people sitting along the path or huddled next to braziers. Their clothing had holes in them and there was dirt on their faces. Spike looked at the downtrodden people. His heart ached at the sight of these people.

They followed the path to a large wooden gate, with a red banner on each side of it. There were two men with wooden spears guarding it. Walter stopped a few feet away and looked at the top of the gate. Drake ran up to the gate and sniffed it; the guards looked at Drake in confusion.

"The man we need to convince is Sabine. A proud old sot, but a good man and a good leader. He doesn't give his allegiance easily, especially to a prince. Why don't you let me go in and talk to him first? Why don't you go look for some new clothes?

"We don't want to draw attention to ourselves. Try to find something slightly less princely. I don't have much but it should be enough to get a set of clothes, there should be a little left over for you to use on what you want."

Walter handed Spike a bag of gold and walked to one of the two guards. Spike turned and walked back down the path. He walked around the village for a few minutes until he found a stall with a clothed mannequin in it. He walked up to the owner and tapped him on the shoulder.

"How much for the whole set of clothes?" The man looked at him with a questioning look then at the mannequin.

"301 gold pieces and not a penny less." Spike nodded and counted out the coins he had. He handed it to the man and took the clothes from the mannequin. He turned and walked away from the shop.

"Uh- hello- hello- my prince? Can you hear me? I'm talking to you through the guild seal, what a wonderful invention it is. It appears like we can communicate as long as you have it on you. It also appears that you can teleport to and from the Sanctum at will."

Spike sighed and looked at Drake. He held the dog's collar and concentrated on the guild seal. He felt the ground disappear and the flash of light. He blinked and felt the ground hit his feet and he light faded.

He was back in the Sanctum and it looked much neater then it was twenty minutes prior. There were less dusty piles and a few less cobwebs. Jasper had done some major cleaning in an amazing amount of time.

"Ah hello, the Sanctum is coming along nicely." Spike walked up to Jasper looking around.

"Jasper how did you get this all done in lest than twenty minutes?" Jasper looked around in confusion.

"I'm far from being done, but this is nothing. Now I have cleared out the Sanctums changing room. You can change your clothes in there now." Spike nodded and walked to the only doorway not obstructed by cobwebs.

He walked into the changing room and let out a whistle. The room was half a circle and half square. It had dark green wallpaper covering the whole wall. There were shelves covering most of the circular part of the wall. The left side of the room had three mannequins on it and the right side had a shelf and a changing screen.

Spike walked up to the screen and started to disrobe. He was half way through pulling his shirt off when he stopped suddenly. His chest throbbed painfully and he put his hand on his bandages.

"Note to self don't lift arms above head." He sighed lightly and continued to disrobe. Spike pulled down his pants and kicked them over the screen. He grabbed the new closes and started to put them on.

"I see that your dressing habits are still the same." Spike stuck his head around the screen and chocked back a laugh. His pants were hanging off of Jasper's head with one of the legs wrapped around his neck like a scarf.

"Sorry Jasper, my ribs don't like me bending right now." Jasper quirked and eyebrow and turned to his left. He pulled the pants off and put them on a shelf. Spike moved back and continued to put on the new outfit.

He stepped out and looked at himself in the mirror. The outfit had brown fur boots, a dark grey pants, a brown fur vest with a red short sleeve shirt on under that. The outfit was completed with a red and yellow stripped bandana and brown fur gloves.

"Ah well you look like a dweller now. I hope it's just as comfortable as your princely attire." Spike smiled at Jasper and shook his head no. Jasper nodded and they both walked out of the room.

"I'll be back with supplies as soon as I can Jasper. It doesn't look like the dwellers have any to spare but I'll get some from the next town over." Jasper gave him a smile and stopped at the map.

Spike activated the gate and teleported back to the dweller camp. He was halfway up the path when he remembered the leftover gold he had. He looked at the people and his face fell. He pulled off his bag of gold and jingled the contents.

A little girl with a yellow bandana ran up to him. She held out her doll in front of her the whole time.

"I'll trade my dolly to you for some food, she's real good." Spike bent down and looked at her.

"You don't have to give me your doll. Here" he opened the bag and gave the girl five gold coins. The girl gasped and looked at him in joy. She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a hug.

"Thanks mister!" She ran off giggling happily, Spike stood up and watched the girl go. He looked at the others and then down at his money. He walked through the village at a slow pace and handed out what was lefty of the gold.

He handed over his last few pieces of gold and then walked to the gates where he left Walter. He walked up to Walter outside the gate and Walter gave a laugh.

"Now that's more like it. The scruffy look suits you." Spike just shook he head and nodded to the guards. They opened the gate and Spike walked through them. The gates opened into a clearing. There were five houses in a half circle, there was only one man and he stood in front of the center house.

The man was huge, standing at over 8 feet tall. He had on a fur hat and a sleeveless fur vest. He wore no undershirt and showed off his body. His chest was big but a solid wall of muscle and sinew. His arms and legs were as wide and solid as cannonballs. He had a large belt with a circular buckle.

He had a scar going down the left side of his face and another one over his left eye that ran down from the edge of his eyebrow and down to his nose. Spike looked at the man and couldn't help feeling intimidated.

Drake ran up to the man and jumped up his leg. He man bent down and pet the dog with a smile. Drake wagged his tail and barked at the man.

"Out of the way Boulder, I can't see anything." Boulder gave a grunt and stepped to he left. He revealed a short little man sitting on a wooden throne on a small platform with a few steps in front of it. The man was dressed in a yellow fur vest and yellow and purple stripped pants. He had a long white mustache with four rings wrapped around it to keep it neat. He had a large yellow hat with a point at the top and a feather sticking out of the middle of it.

"So royalty walks into our home. A prince no less, you're a long mile from the castle prince." Spike walked up to him, stopping at the foot of the steps. Boulder was to Spike's immediate left and kept his good eye fixed on Spike.

"What do you think of our home then? Do you like what your brother has done to us?" He voice was laced with sarcasm and anger. Spike just stared at the man trying to gauge how he could appeal to the man. Sabine waved he hand out motioning to the village.

"These mountains have always been ours. Now Logan's taken them, and is stripping them of all life. Oh, we're ready to go to war." He put up his hands into fists and furrowed his brows.

"But tell me this, why should we follow Logan's kin? How are you any better than he is?" Sabine fixed him with a pointed stare as if waiting for Spike to lie to him. Spike looked down at his hands and flexed them a few times. He finally looked up at Sabine and sighed.

"I don't expect you to trust me just yet. You have no reason to believe me but I give you my word." Sabine gave him a harsh snort and turned his back on Spike. He walked back up to his throne and sat back down.

"We don't take much stock in words round these parts. We're simple folk, ain't that right boulder?" Boulder gave a grunt of approval and crossed his arms.

"If I have to prove myself before you believe me then so be it. What do you want?" Spike crossed his arms and Sabine stood up. He walked down the steps and stopped in front of Spike. He leaned toward Spike and so did Boulder.

"Proof. First you must prove that you are truly a Hero, as Walter claims." He held up one finger as he spoke.

"This is easily done. There is a secret chamber beneath the town of Brightwall, build by your own father. Only Heroes can survive its trials and reach the relics within." Drake gave a bark and jumped up on Boulder again. Boulder chuckled lightly and sat down on the ground.

He pet Drake while Drake licked his face and barked happily. Spike gave them a quick glance and felt a smile grace his lips.

"Bring me one of these ancient objects and I will believe you. Second, prove you are a warrior worthy of leading us into battle." He held up two fingers as he spoke.

"You can do this by slaying the mercenaries who plague Mistpeak Valley and who have long soured our existence. Third, prove you are a true leader. Persuade our neighbors in Brightwall to share what food they have with us. Boulder."

Sabine looked at Boulder and Boulder turned to face Sabine. He gave a sad grunt and stood up, stopping his fun with Drake.

"If we cannot eat, we will die. And the dead make poor allies." Spike nodded and Drake walked to Spike and sat down next to him.

"Is that all you want? I can do that for you, I would have helped you with the food problem anyway." Sabine looked taken aback for a second and then gave a smile. He walked back up to his throne and sat down again.

"Yep, that's the lot. Off you go then" He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture. "Good luck, nice knowing you." He pulled a pipe out of his pouch and gave it a puff. Spike pat his leg and turned to leave. Drake jumped up and followed him out.

The gates opened up for him again and he walked out to meet Walter. Walter gave him a smile and patted his back. Spike smiled lightly and shook his head.

"It's good to see Sabine hasn't mellowed with age. But anyway I know the place he mentioned. Your father built the chamber under Brightwall Academy, Albion's greatest seat of learning." Spike and Walter walked at a brisk pace back down the trail.

"Unfortunately I heard that your brother closed it down. But all you have to do is show your guild seal to the librarian. He'll know what it means." They stopped at the town entrance and Walter turned to Spike.

"I'll meet you in Brightwall after I see what I can find out about these mercenaries." Spike nodded and watched Walter walk off. He looked at the path leading to the guild seal and Drake gave a small whine.

Spike walked around the village for a few minutes before he turned and left through the village's gates. As soon as he walked through it he was hit in the face with a cold wind. Spike rubbed his arms to try and warm them up.

He walked down the path until he hit a fork and looked up at the sign. It had an arrow pointing to the left path and the word Brightwall underneath it. He went to take the left path when Drake ran off up the right path.

"Drake not that way!" Spike ran after Drake and saw his tail whip around the corner. Spike ran through the snow and felt the cold sting his face and arms where the wind hit him.

He finally caught up to Drake at the end of the path which was at the top of a small bluff. There were ruins around the top and a small wooden chest was in the middle of the bluff. Spike walked up to it and gave the top a gentle tug.

The chest stayed firmly shut and Spike gave a small huff. He looked at the lock and saw that it was rusted with age. Spike looked at his gauntlet and then back at the lock. He placed his hand on it a channeled a fireball into his hands.

He saw the metal begin to glow red with heat and continued to charge his gauntlet. He stopped when he saw steam coming off of the lock and he grabbed a handful of snow. He threw it on the lock and saw the snow melt with a hiss as it hit the lock.

He threw more snow on the lock until it was cold again. He then raised his left leg and gave the lock a hard kick. The metal shattered with a loud bang and a shower of metal shards.

He opened the chest and looked inside of it. There was a small bag of gold, a small square cut emerald, and an oval cut piece of jet. Spike collected the contents and turned around. Drake was sitting in front of him wagging his tail in joy.

"Its not food but we can still use this to get some supplies in Brightwall. Good job boy!" He scratched Drake behind the ears and set off back down the path.

They made it half way down the trail before they heard a loud howl. Drake crouched down and bared his teeth while Spike looked around for the source of the noise. There was a light pattering of paws and they saw five wolves running at them.

Spike charged his glove and fired a fireball at one of the wolves, it hit the wolf in the head and the wolf tumbled to the ground dead. The other four kept running at them and Drake launched himself at one of them.

The lead wolf jumped at Drake and they collided in midair. They hit the snow and wrestled around snapping and growling at each other. Spike shot a second fireball at another one but it jumped to the side avoiding it.

The fourth and fifth wolves jumped at Spike but he rolled to his right. The two wolves missed him by inches and he saw they streak by. He felt something hit him hard on the right side of his torso.

The wolf that dodged the fireball had tackled Spike to the ground. Spike cried out in pain as his ribs throbbed in pain. He shoved his right hand under the wolfs ribcage and let loose another fireball.

The explosion threw the wolf ten feet and it hit a tree with a sickening crack. Spike rolled over in the snow to smother the fire on his clothes. His hand hit a log and he grabbed it quickly. The two wolves bore down on Spike with menacing growls.

One jumped at him and he swung the log full force at its face. The log hit the wolf and exploded in a splinter of wood and blood as it spilt the wolfs head open. The other wolf snapped its muzzle down on Spike's right hand and thrashed its head around.

Spike yelled at the wolf and punched it in the side. The wolf held on and continued to thrash around. Spike felt its teeth dig deep into his arm and his blood start to spill out. He grabbed its muzzle and tried to pull the wolf off.

The wolf bit down harder and Spike shouted at it. He looked around but couldn't see and more logs he could use to pry the wolf off. He growled in frustration and looked back at the wolf.

He could hear Drake and the last wolf still fighting in the background and gave the wolf on his arm a kick. It let out a yelp but stayed glued to Spike's arm. Spike groaned in disgust and charged his glove.

"This is going to feel so gross!" He unleashed the fireball down the wolfs gullet. The result was instantaneous, the wolfs chest exploded in a shower of blood and fur. Spike panted a few times to catch his breath, he refused to look at the wolfs remains.

He grabbed the beasts muzzle and pulled it open to free his right arm. Spike heard a sudden whimpering howl and a growl. He looked up in time to see Drake grab the last wolf by the throat and crush its throat.

Drake held onto the wolf until it stopped twitching and then released its throat. He walked over to Spike and gave a soft whine of sadness. Spike held his arm and gave Drake a small smile.

"I'll be ok boy. Come here and let me check you for any wounds you got." Drake walked over to Spike and sat down. Spike made sure there weren't any cuts the could get infected and then looked at his arm.

The wolf didn't tear much flesh but it did cut deep into his arm. Spike pulled off the bandana and placed it on his knee. He grabbed some snow and rubbed it on his arm to clean the cuts. After he cleaned the wound, he wrapped the bandana around his forearm tightly.

He flexed his hand a few times and rolled his wrist. There didn't appear to be any nerve damage but it still throbbed painfully like his ribs. He stood up and walked down the path with Drake at his heels.

They made it the rest of the way to Brightwall without having to fight anything else. The town was on the other side of a large stone bridge. Spike walked across the bridge looking at the various spots of damage along the bridge.

He made it inside the town and saw a giant statue of a scholar. He walked up to the nearest guard and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. The guard turned and looked as spike with distain.

"Excuse me but where is the general goods store?" The guard looked him up and down before he answered him.

"It's to the right of the stalls." Spike gave him a polite 'thank you' and walked to the store. He reached the store and walked inside. He was greeted by a portly man behind the counter.

"Can I help you with something lad?" Spike smiled and walked up to the man.

"Yes, I was wondering if I could get some supplies here. I need a basic first aid kit, a few cleaning supplies, and a weeks worth of food rations." The clerk looked him up and down and gave a sniff of dissent.

"And how will you be paying for all of that?" Spike looked taken aback at the mans attitude. The man just glared at Spike as if Spike was a filthy tramp.

"I do have money and a few trinkets to trade with."

"And where did a filthy dweller like you get the money from?! Did you steal it from some unsuspecting traveler?!" Spike looked at him not sure why the man was so hostile.

"No, I got the money legally and I found the gems out in the mountains." The clerk eyed him suspiciously. Then he collected all of the items that Spike needed. He placed them on the counter and looked at Spike again.

"Your total will be 650 gold coins." Spike opened his coin purse and counted the gold he had.

"I only have 500 gold coins but I also have a cut emerald to trade for say 200 coins." The clerk gave a sniff and stuck out his hand.

"I'll need to see the gem before I agree to anything." Spike pulled out the emerald and handed it over to the man. The clerk looked over the gem and even held it up to the light.

"150 for the emerald." He set it down on the counter.

"That's ridiculous. That emerald goes for over 300 in the Bowerstone market place, and I'm willing to part with it for only two."

"Well we're not in Bowerstone now are we!" The clerk began to yell at Spike now.

"No we're not, but you could find plenty of people here who would want a gem like that. Plus you could sell it for double and no one would argue." Spike stared back at the clerk in defiance.

The clerk stared at him for a few minutes until he let out a disgusted sigh. "Fine! 200 for the gem and the rest for 450 gold coins."

"Deal" spike placed the money on the counter and gathered the supplies. He put them in a sack and walked out of the store and out the town gates. He activated the seal and teleported to the Sanctum.

The sanctum was looking a lot better now. The dust was almost gone, the cobwebs were all removed, and there weren't any piles of sheets or books on the floor. Spike looked for Jasper but didn't see him anywhere.

"Jasper?!" He called out to Jasper and set the sack down on the floor. He heard a loud thunk from room on the far left. He walked inside and found Walter coughing with a wooden box at his feet and dust floating in the air.

"Are you alright Jasper?" Jasper coughed a few more times and waved the dust out of his face.

"I'm fine sir, just cleaning up this room. I found a box with a note addressed to you sir." He pointed to the box on the floor. Spike walked over to the box and picked it up. The box was at least four feet long and three feet wide.

He carried it out the room and Jasper followed behind him. Spike set the box down on the map and ran his hands across the seams. He found the latch and pulled it opening the box. Inside the box was four items a hammer, a sword, a pistol, and a rifle.

The hammer had a three foot wooden handle bound in leather straps. The head was six inches tall and a foot long. It had two rounded steel heads and a small insignia at the top. The bottom of it was capped with a two inch steel cap.

The sword was a simple steel sword. It had a handle much like the hammers; wooden and wrapped in leather. The blade was three feet long and it was finely sharpened.

The rifle looked like a simple musket with leather wrapped around its stock. The pistol looked the same as the musket and also had leather wrapped around its handle. On top if the weapons lay a single piece of paper.

Spike picked up the paper and read it.

_Dear Son,_

_I leave you these four weapons. At first glance they look like simple weapons but looks can be deceiving. They are in actuality Hero weapons, meaning they are enchanted with strong magic. _

_The magic enables them to grow and change as if they were alive. They grow according to the wielder and how he uses them. It is safe to say that in the right hands, they could be the strongest weapons in existence._

_They are not the only thing you need to know. On your quest you will come across special emblems. They are called flit switches. There are three different kinds of flit switches. The blue ones are melee switches._

_You must simply hit them with a sword or hammer and it activates them. The red ones are magic switches, and as the name implies you just hit them with any magic spell. The final switch is called a shot switch. A single shot from a pistol or rifle will activate them._

_I know these weapons will serve you well on your quest, and I hope you use them well_

_Signed,_

_Your loving father, the King._

Spike put the note down and ran his hand across the hammers handle. He picked up the sword and saw a leather sheath underneath it. He attached the sword to his back and picked up the pistol.

He attached the pistol to his hip and he attached the rifle to his back. The rifle and sword formed an x across his back.

Spike walked to the dressing room and grabbed his second set of clothes. He changed out of the Dweller outfit and back into his princely garbs. He handed Jasper the Dweller outfit and smiled.

"It's more comfortable to be running around in this and not fur." Spike walked out to the map and activated his seal once again. He teleported back to the town of Brightwall and walked inside.

It was a quiet trek to the library for Spike. His thoughts kept going back to the note his dad had left him. 'How could Dad have possibly known that I was going to be a Hero like him? It doesn't make any sense; it could have been centuries before another Hero was needed.'

He reached the library and pushed open the doors. The library was cool and quiet; it had the musty smell of old books. Spike walked through the entrance hall and stopped at the counter. There was an elderly gentleman leaning over a book on the counter.

He heard Spike's footsteps but didn't bother to look up at him; he just kept reading the book.

"The library is closed by order of King Logan. We don't sell drinks or Chicken feed. Please leave before the soldiers suspect you of gaining any real knowledge."

Spike just looked at him and waited for the man to look up. The man read the book for a few more minutes until he realized Spike was still standing there.

"Oh! Sweet papyrus, a real visitor. I-I am afraid I was speaking the truth before though. King Logan has closed the Academy and I'm little more than a custodian." Spike reached into his pocked and pulled out the guild seal. He showed it to the man and the man let out a surprised squeak.

"By the holy bookmark, the guild seal! I haven't seen it since the old king was last here. But then that makes you…"

"Yes I'm his son, the prince. I was hoping you could let me into the chamber under the academy, there is something I need to get out of there."

"But of course. Your father told me to let anyone who had the seal into the reliquary." He motioned Spike to follow his and they walked through the library at a slow pace. The librarian took Spike to a large metal door.

Spike's sight was locked onto a small circle crafted into the door. He pulled out his guild seal and placed it into the circle. The seal let off a sudden glow and then a deep rumble could be heard. The door started to unlock itself and opened with a loud groan.

Spike gave the librarian a smile and crossed the thresh hold. The entrance room was large and made of cold gray stone. It had three floors to it and a stained glass window in the far wall. There were shelves upon shelves lined with books.

The air was cold and carried the musty smell of old parchment. The chain torches hanging from the ceiling held balls of fire and looked as if they had never bin put out. Spike walked slowly through the room and looked around at the books.

"Look at this place Drake! There are hundreds of books in this room alone, imagine the knowledge they hold. We have to come back here later and see if we can salvage any of it." Drake gave a small bark and sniffed the nearest shelf.

Spike made it to the next room and let out a low whistle. The room was large enough to fit a small mansion in it. The path spilt left and right and turned into stairs leading deeper into the catacombs.

Spike followed the right path and was puzzled by the numerous candles that were flickering with light, illuminating the path. Why were the candles lit, let alone placed along a path for him? Weren't the catacombs sealed years ago by his father?

He felt a million questions burning in him as he followed the path down. He had to stop when he saw that the path was gone. The stone bridge was missing but it didn't look as if it had broken but simply vanished.

There was a small round emblem floating in front of the missing bridges path. The emblem was blue and had a picture of a blade on it. Spike recognized it as one of the emblems his father had written about in his note.

He pulled his blade from its sheath and swung it at the emblem. It exploded in a shower of blue light and shot across the gap. The light hit the wall and a bridge extended itself out of the wall and stopped in front of Spike.

He walked on the bridge and stopped in the small room. There were a dozen little blue lights flitting around the ceiling of the room. He reached the middle when the lights suddenly halted.

They all shot toward the ground and disappeared, and then the ground began to rumble and break. Spike saw skeletal hands rise up from the breaks and a dozen skeletal figures armed with swords and rifles crawled out of the ground.

Spike walked in horror as the figures all turned to face him and let out angry groans, as if telling him that he wasn't welcome. They advanced on Spike brandishing their weapons but he didn't move.

His legs felt like they were made of stone and his heart beat so fast, it felt like it was going to explode from his chest. Drake let out a bark and jumped on the nearest skeleton. Spike felt his legs loosen up and he sung his sword.

His sword hit a skeleton and sliced right through it. The skeleton fell to the ground and turned to dust. The other skeletons stopped a moment and looked at the pile of dust. They looked at Spike and started on him again.

He felt his body move on its own as it sliced through the skeletons and as it danced away from their attacks. He could see Drake jump at more skeletons and tackle them to the ground. The fight only lasted five minutes but to Spike it felt like an hour.

He could see the arch the blades swung in, and it looked like they moved at an impossibly slow pace. He could almost feel the contact of the attacks before then even hit him. When the fight was over, there were mounds of dust along the floor and Spike was standing in the middle of them.

He stood frozen in place in a crouched position from where his final attack hit the last skeleton. He was panting lightly and his face was covered with a light sheen of sweat. Drake was crouched next to him and he was still growling menacingly.

He finally lowered his sword and he looked at Drake. "Are you as freaked out as I am?" Drake sat down and looked up at Spike, his eyes holding sympathy in them. Spike took a few more deep breathes and felt his heart rate return to normal.

"This journey is going to seriously mess with my head isn't it?" Drake just barked at Spike and walked on ahead of him.


	4. Bandits, Bandits, and more Bandits

Okay guys here is chapter 4. You'll forgive me if there are a few grammatical errors, i'm dead tired. I decided to stay up and finish this chapter instead of turning in early. Hope you like it and enjoy.

P.S. the only reason my character is named Spike is because thats one of the only two names i use for my video game characters (well that and Revan).

Spike walked deeper into the catacombs; his eyes darting all over the place. The fight with the hollow men still freaked him out a little. He had heard stories about how horrible hollow men were but they didn't even come close to actually looking at one.

HE made it to the next room and saw a red flit switch floating in the air. He charged a fireball and shot it at the switch. It exploded like the first one and Spike felt another rumble. A set of stairs rose up in front of him with a glowing blue arrow at the end.

Spike stepped on the arrow and a second platform rose up in front of the arrow. Spike followed the arrows until one rose up under a glowing blue brazier. Six blue balls of light shot out of it and into the ground. Spike felt a chill run up his spine as he saw more hollow men rise up.

The path he was on left little room to maneuver and one wrong step meant falling to his death. Spike charged up his gauntlet and shot a fireball at the hollow men. It exploded and set the corpses ablaze.

The four in front turned to dust instantly and the remaining two were covered in fire. They let out inhuman howls and shuffled toward Spike. He pulled out his pistol and fired it at the hollow men.

One bullet hit the one on the left in the chest and the one on the right got hit in the head. They disintegrated and Spike continued his trek through the room. He had to fight two more groups of hollow men and dispatched them with a fireball and a few well placed bullets.

It seemed that the hollow men had a weakness to fire and Spike fully exploited it. The tomb was in severe disrepair; there were whole sections blocked off do to fallen rubble. The central chamber had huge columns and there were hollow men roaming around.

Spike pulled out his rifle and shot at the hollow men. The first two fell before the others knew what was happening. The rest charged at Spike but he kept them at bay with a mix of fire and gun shots.

One or two hollow men would have reached him if not for Drake pouncing on them. Spike made it through the scores of hollow men and to the heart of the catacombs. The camber was as tall as a tower, with stairs leading to the center.

Spike heard a faint tinkling musical sound as he entered the room. The center of the room had a single pedestal and a single beam of light was hitting it. Spike walked closer to it and the music became louder as he did. He reached the pedestal and looked at it confused.

The pedestal held an old circular music box. The box was the source of the music and the beam of light. Spike was sure he heard his father tell him about a music box a long time ago.

"I can't believe it, could this be my dad's old music box?" He reached out his hand attentively and closed his fingers around the box. The light grew brighter and the let out a large flash.

Spike blinked a few times and saw the same gateway as when he first touched the guild seal.

"You have done well young one. But there is much that I must tell you; step into the gateway and I will reveal it to you." Spike jumped slightly at hearing Theresa's voice as if it was in his own head.

He stepped into the gateway and felt the familiar lurch of teleportation. He blinked and saw that he was transported to 'the Road to Rule' as Theresa called it.

"Congratulations Hero, touching the guild seal shows what you could become. Reaching the music box proves what you already are. Only a hero could have done it, you are also learning how to control the powers you possess.

"You have great potential; but it is only the first step you must take. Albion is crying out for a revolution, and someone to lead it. Gaining support for you rebellion will be hard, but facing your brother Logan with be an even greater challenge.

"However, you must remember that this is not about personal revenge. While your brother sits on the throne, Albion is in great danger. Open the music box and you will see."

Spike looked down at the box; he took the key in his right hand and turned it. The box opened up and let out a blinding white light.

He blinked and found himself in the war room inside the castle. The curtains were all drawn and the room was covered in shadow. The only light came from the map of Albion.

"This is my Albion, its cities will bow to my law or they will burn." Logan walked to the map, slowly looming out of the darkness. There was a hungry look in his eyes as he looked at the map.

"Its mountains will bend to my will or they will fall. This is my Albion and its people will submit to my rule, or they will die. Its future will be as I decree or it will end." He leaned over the map and slowly waved his hand over it.

"I've seen what must be done and nothing will stand in my way. We will be greater, and we will be stronger, no matter what sacrifices we must make. This is my Albion and I will see it destroyed before I surrender it." He slammed his hand down on the map.

Spike blinked and he was back in front of Theresa. He couldn't believe what he saw, what had happened to his brother? What happened to the brother that stood up for the weak?

He held back tears as he looked up at Theresa.

"If any part of you doubted the need of a revolution, you have your answer." Spike shot her an angry glare and rubbed his eyes with his right hand. His left hand tightened over the music box.

"The kingdom will face annihilation under you brother's rule." She gave him a sympathetic look and motioned to the gate behind her.

"Now, do what you must to gain your first ally. For you cannot lead a revolution without followers. Sabine is a good man, and his people are strong." With that she disappeared into thin air.

"Thanks for nothing!" He retorted as he shook his hand in the air. He stepped forward and pushed the gate open. He grabbed the new shock gauntlet and the upgrade for his melee weapons and stepped through the gate.

He teleported back to the library in a flash of light. The librarian let out a shriek of horror and the papers he was holding went flying in the air.

"Blessed index cards, you made it. This is cause for great rejoicing. Albion has a Hero again, if ever I can be of assistance I would be honored to serve you." Spike gave him a nod and walked out of the library.

The sun was starting to set and cast the town in a soft red glow. People were still bustling about trying to get some more work done before they went home for the day. The crickets were all chirping along with the rest of the nightlife animals.

He was still fuming about what he saw; he couldn't believe the vision was true. He walked all the way to the tavern before he even realized where he was. He sat down at the one of the tables and waited for a barmaid.

He set the music box down on the table and stared at it mutinously. As if the box was the cause of all of Albion's problems. It took the barmaid a few minutes but she finally got to him.

"What can I get for you love?" She gave Spike a flirtatious smile but he didn't even look at her.

"I'd like a pint of your strongest drink." She gave him a nod and walked off.

Three hours later Spike was still sitting at the table. He was half way through his sixth pint and he was drunk.

His body felt weightless and it swayed left and right. His vision was blurred and he had trouble focusing. He saw someone pull out the chair next to him and sit down. Spike couldn't make out their face but he recognized the red and blue shirt they wore.

"Go away Walter! I'm not in the mood to talk to anyone!" He downed the last of his beer and slammed down his goblet.

"What's wrong Spike? I've never known you to even taste alcohol, let alone down enough of it to get drunk." Walter put his hand on Spike's shoulder. Spike jerked his shoulder away and put his head on the table.

"Why did this happen? Why did my brother change? What did he see on his journey?" Spike felt tears fall down his face and he put his hands on top of his head. A barmaid came and handed Walter a pint of his own.

"Ah my boy, it's not your fault. I don't know what your brother saw on his journey, but I know it corrupted him. He's not your brother any longer; he is but a shadow of his former self.

"We're not starting this revolution to kill him; we're doing it to help the people. His rule is slowly killing the kingdom. I know that you wish it didn't have to be this way, but you not alone.

"You have me and Jasper to turn to; we'll always have you back, no matter what." He pat Spike on the back and took a swig of his drink. Spike placed his hands on the table and slowly sat up.

"Why Walter? Why do you and Jasper do that? What reason do you two have to follow me so blindly? What could you possibly see in me?" He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"Your special my boy; you have a good heart. You wish for nothing but the best for people. You try your hardest to help anyone you can and you ask for nothing in return. Your father was my best friend; he was a great man.

"You remind me of him so much, you are truly your father's son." Spike felt more tears fall down his face as Walter took another sip of his beer. Spike sat there and cried for a few minutes and Walter just watched him.

Spike finally stopped crying and rubbed his face. He tried to stand up but he fell back down immediately. Walter shot up and caught Spike around his waist before he hit the floor.

"Whoa now son; your not sober enough to go anywhere. Why don't you rest for the night and I'll see if I can find out more about the mercenaries that are troubling the Dwellers." He lifted one of Spike's arms over his shoulder and hefted him to the barkeep.

"Do you have any rooms for rent? My young friend here drank a few too many." Spike gave a grunt of disapproval but Walter just chuckled lightly. The barkeep gave him a smile and motioned one of the barmaids to him.

"Joanna here will show you to one of the spare rooms we have." Joanna had long red hair and a decent sized bust. She was the maid that tried to get Spike's attention three hours ago but failed.

"Oh what happened to him? Do you need any help carrying him?" Walter shook his head no and Spike grunted in protest. Joanna walked Walter to the room and waited by the door. Walter laid Spike on the bed and pulled off his boots.

Spike fell asleep almost immediately after his head hit the pillow. Walter set his weapons and boots next to the bed and walked to the door. He closed the door and locked it behind him.

Joanna's face fell when she saw Walter pocket the key. Walter ignored her and walked back to the barkeep.

"Here's the gold for the room for the night. I'd like it if you and your staff don't disturb him and let him sleep as long as he needs." The barkeep gave him a nod and took the gold Walter gave him.

Walter was gone for an hour and the bar was starting to attract more customers. The barkeep was so busy pouring drinks that he didn't notice one of the barmaids wasn't working the floor.

Joanna was slowly creeping down the hallway; intent on not being seen by anyone. She made her way to Spike's room and looked left and right down the hall.

She put here hands in her pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. She fumbled with the keys for a second before shoving it into the lock. She turned the key slowly and let out a small gasp when it clicked open.

She opened the door and slid inside before she shut it slowly. She stood stock still until her eyes adjusted to the lack of light in the room. She saw Spike's gear resting on the end table next to the single bed.

Spike was sleeping on his back with his left arm covering his eyes.

'He's asleep, perfect.' She felt a smile cross her lips and she pushed the keys back in her pocket. She slowly inched forward taking light steps so as not to make a sound to wake him up.

She was half way across the room when one of the floorboards gave a loud creak. She eyes snapped to Spike as he gave a soft grunt. She froze up and watched Spike for a few minutes.

Spike rolled to his stomach and pushed his arms under his pillow. She watched him for a few more minutes and then finally moved again.

She reached the side of the bed and looked down at the table. Spike's pistol and coin purse were resting on the table with his sword and rifle leaning against the side of it.

She reached over and slowly picked up the coin purse, she opened it up and her face fell. The purse held less than a hundred gold in it. She closed the bag and set it back down on the table.

She turned to leave, felling that there wasn't anything worth stealing in the room. She took one step toward the door when a flash of gold caught her eye.

She looked at Spike and saw a thin golden chain hanging around his neck. She cast a look at the door and then back at Spike.

She slowly bends over Spike's torso and her hands moved toward his neck. She grabbed the chain between her thumbs and index fingers. She slowly lifted it up until it was a few inches away from his neck.

Then she began to slowly pull the chain in one direction until she found the clasp. She unhooked the chain and set one end down next to Spike's head. She began to pull the other end and was slowly freeing the chain from under Spike's neck.

She had freed most of the chains length when it met with resistance. The other end was apparently stuck on something that was under Spike's throat.

She gave the chain a few soft tugs but it didn't budge. Her eyes flicked to Spike face to see if he had woken up. Spike had a soft but hurt look on his face. Spike let out a soft murmur of "Elise" and rubbed his face into his pillow.

She gave the chain one last tug and it gave way. She finally freed the whole chain and saw what it was caught on. There was a small golden emblem caught on the chains hook.

She picked up the chain and held it all in her hand. She turned to leave when she felt a hand suddenly close on her left arm.

She turned and saw Spike's hand around her forearm and he was glaring at her. He slowly sat up and kept his eyes locked on hers. Joanna felt her heart jump into her throat and her breathe became ragged.

"Give it back" he spoke in a soft but firm voice. Joanna tried to back away from him but he pulled her back by her arm.

"Give it back!" He said it louder as he stood from his bed. She jerked her arms a few times but Spike increased his grip on her arm. Joanna was starting to hyperventilate and she felt her legs give out.

Spike bent down and grabbed her other arm. He let go of her left arm and started to pry her hand open. His necklace fell to the floor with a light clink and he snatched it up. He put it in his pocket and pulled her into a standing position.

"If you ever try to steal from me again and I'll break your hands." He pulled her to the door and yanked it open. He flung her out into the hall and slammed the door shut.

Joanna sat there for a few minutes to catch her breath. She leaned on the wall as she slowly stood up. She slowly made her way back to work.

The sun was streaming into the quiet and still room. The sun was hitting Spike in the face and he let out a small groan. He held his hand in front of his face to shield his eyes.

He slowly lifted his head and looked around the room. He sat up and set his feet on the floor.

"That beer kicked my ass" he put his hands to his head and rubbed his temples softly. He stood up and gathered his things; he needed to see if Walter was back yet.

He left the room and walked to the front door. He saw Joanna talking to the bartender and shot her an angry glare. She let out a whimper and Spike walked out of the pub.

The sun was still rising in the sky and people were slowly opening their stalls and shops. Spike walked across the street and into the blacksmith shop.

He walked around the shop examining the weapons on display. He stopped to look at one of the swords and read the card. 'The Lover Sword' Spike read the card and shook his head.

"I'd rather not have a weapon made by lusty Larry; guy was more interested in making more kids than making good weapons.' He walked around the store a few more minutes and then made his way back to the pub.

He saw Walter standing at the corner of the pub and walked forward.

"There you are, the owner said you'd left a few minutes ago. How's the head?" Spike shook his head and Walter let out a laugh.

"I have some information on the mercenaries Sabine mentioned. They are lead by a man called Saker. He use to be a soldier but he had more in common with bandits and cutthroats than the military.

He and his men are hold up in a fortress up in the mountains so it won't be easy to get in. But I have a plan." Walter turned and walked up the sidesteps. Spike followed him into a room overlooking the main pub.

There was a half naked man passed out at the table. The man was covered in tattoos and dirt. The smell coming off of him was repugnant; Spike could feel bile rising up in the back of his throat.

"This sod is one of Saker's mercenaries, a cold-blooded killer. His name is Clarence but everyone calls him Jimmy. He was drinking in the pub all day and making live generally unpleasant for everyone else.

"It didn't take much to get him completely pickled. These young-blood mercenaries, bloody lightweights if you ask me." Spike let out a small snort and gave Walter an amused look.

Just put on his clothes and you'll have a free ticket into their camp. Just try not to think about what those stains are." Spike gave Walter a disgusted look and hesitantly took the clothes.

"What will you do with him while I'm gone?" Spike motioned to 'Jimmy' and he continued to snore on the table.

"I think the guards will like to have a word with him, now go get changed." Spike simply set the clothes down and shut the door. He disrobed and set his clothes on the floor. He switched into the mercenaries clothes and picked up his.

"Not bad, but you'll need to put in a pit of extra effort. Even these idiots would notice if you don't have his beard or tattoos, see if you can find them in town. I'll see who we need to talk to about food for the dwellers."

Spike turned to leave but then turned back to Walter. "How do you do it?" It was a simple question but it had Walter surprised none the less.

"How do I do what lad?" Spike looked at the mercenary and back to Walter.

""I'm going to be going after a bunch of mercenaries now, how can I fight them. It will be a fight for survival with Saker at the very least. I've never even fought another person let alone kill them. How do you justify killing someone else?"

Walter gave a sigh and walked over to Spike. He took off Spikes hat and put a hand on his shoulder.

"I fought in a war lad; it's quite different from fighting mercenaries. But I'll tell you a secret lad. There is no justifying the taking of a life. The most you can do is remember why you took a life.

"It may be wrong to kill someone but its worse to let them live, knowing that they would harm more people because you didn't stop them." Spike looked Walter in the eyes and gave him a weak smile.

"So I'm taking life to save more lives?" "Exactly" Walter gave him a pat on the back and handed him the hat. Spike took the hat and walked out into town.

Spike finished getting all he pieces for his disguise and was walking back up the mountain to the mercenary camp. He kept scratching his face because of the false beard he was wearing.

His arm itched because the ink of his fake tattoo was starting to dry as well. He wasn't going to get a real tattoo of something as ridiculous as tally marks on his arm. He made his way through the woods and saw a chunk of the forest cut clear.

There was a wooden wall on the other side of the stream with red banners hanging from the sides. There were men on the top of the wall holding rifles and they were walking along the wall, watching the road for any activity.

'Time to see if this foul smelling disguise is worth wearing.' Spike walked up to the wall and one of the guards noticed him.

"Hey Jimmy! Back from killin some dwellers? Come on in." The gate lifted and Spike's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Not too bright are they?' He gave the man a small wave and walked inside.

The path leads around the outskirts of the forest and had lookout posts every few hundred feet. Drake was keeping close to Spike's leg and he let out a few whimpers. Spike stopped and crouched down to Drake's level.

"It's going to be okay boy; you don't have to go with me if you don't want to." He rubbed Drake's back in comfort and the hound looked at his master. Spike gave him a smile and pant his head.

"Why don't you go back to the creek and wait for me there okay?" Drake wagged his tail and let out a bark. Spike gave him one more pat and stood up. He watched Drake run back down the path and through the gate just before it closed.

Spike smiled lightly and turned to continue his trek into Saker's camp.

He was half way down the path when he heard someone shout "Hey Jimmy! Over Here!"

Two bandits were standing next to a cannon and one was waving to him. 'Guess I have no choice.' He walked up to the bandits and let out a gruff "hello."

"Hey Jimmy show him the thing you do, you know the 'thing'." Spike gave him a look of confusion and felt his heart start to hammer faster.

'What the hell is this guy talking about? What thing? Shit! This isn't good, I have to think of something quick or they'll realize I'm not Jimmy. But what!?' The bandits were waiting with expectant looks on their faces as they watched Spike.

Spike gave a look of sudden realization and walked closer to the second bandit. He grabbed the man's head pulled it down to his ass and let out a loud fart. The man let out noises of disgust and the other one began to laugh hysterically.

Spike smiled at the second bandit as he waved his hand in front of his face and gagging loudly.

"Oh I never get tired of that! Thanks Jimmy!" The first bandit kept laughing and Spike walked away from them. 'I don't know what's worse, the fact that I did something as revolting as that. Or that it was what Jimmy normally does to people.'

Spike let out a small shudder and kept walking down the path. He made it to the second gate and waved at the guard.

The man said some drivel about drinking alone and let Spike through the second gate. Spike had now made it to the camps entrance and looked around. The camp was in a cleared out circular area. The path twisted its way up the hill to the top and had a high wooden wall.

There was a third gate that blocked off the heart of the camp from the open clearing. Spike walked up to the only house in the clearing which was sitting next to the third gate. There were two men standing next to the gate, chatting about nothing unparticular.

He waved and one of the guards looked up at him.

"Jimmy? Is that really you? You look different somehow, were your eyes always that color?" The man leaned closer to Spike and looked him in the eyes.

"Nah! Jimmy's got periwinkle eyes, like a beautiful summer morning. This man ain't him!" Spike looked at the man incredulously. 'What the fuck is that?! How the hell do they know each others eye colors?! And why the fu... SHIT!'

Spike ducked as the man swung his sword at Spike's neck. Spike heard alarms sounding all over the camp and saw more men rushing at him. He pulled out his sword and blocked the second man's swing.

He kicked the first man who smashed into the houses railing and fell to the floor. The second man swung again but Spike spun to the left, dodging the man's vertical swing. Spike thrust his blade at the man and stabbed him in the shoulder.

The man grabbed his arm and Spike swung his left leg up, kicking the man in the head. The man dropped to the floor but at the same time, first one got up again. By this time, the other three men had run up to them and surrounded Spike.

Spike held his sword in front of him but kept darting his eyes at the four bandits. His legs kept twitching, trying to make him move in any direction. His heart was thudding a mile a minute and his hands were starting to sweat.

He charged up his gauntlet and held his right fist closed. The four men charged at the same time and Spike dropped down. He slammed his hand on the ground and a ring of fire burst out of the ground.

The fire threw the four attackers back and Spike pulled out his pistol and shot one of them in both his legs. Before anyone could blink, Spike slashed the second one across the tops of his thighs as he spun to face the last two men.

The last two men were still getting up from the sudden explosion. Spike jumped up and came down hard on the third bandits gut. The bandit let out a loud heaving noise and passed out from the sudden blow.

The last man got up and was running at the gate. Spike took a few quick breaths; the cold air helped him keep his blood lust in check. He turned to see the fourth bandit slamming his fist against the gate.

"Help! We need more men out here! This guy's insane!" The gate opened slowly and Spike ran at the man. The gate fully opened to reveal two bandits with muskets in hand.

Spike didn't wait for them to take aim; he just shot another fireball at them. The fireball hit the men and exploded, throwing the three men to the ground. Spike ran through the gate, his eyes darting left and right.

He ran past the bleeding men and followed the path. He heard a gunshot and felt something nick his left cheek. He saw two bandits hunched by a cannon, one of them reloading his rifle.

The second one stood up and brought his rifle up aiming at Spike. Spike didn't even fell his hand move as he unleashed a fireball at the powder keg next to the cannon. The barrel exploded in a sudden flash of fire.

The two bandits were thrown away from the cannon by the force of the explosion. They hit the dirt hard, their blood flowing out of the multiple punctures and cuts from the shrapnel.

Spike didn't have time to let the fact sink in that he just killed two men. Six more bandits had just reached him with their swords drawn. Spike pulled out his pistol and shot one in the shoulder.

The bandit yelled in pain as he hunched over. The other five let out roars of rage as they advanced on Spike. One of them jumped at Spike swinging his sword in a downward slash.

Spike sidestepped to the left and stabbed the man in his gut. Spike pulled out his blade and brought his sword up just in time to stop another bandits attack to his face. The first bandit fell to the ground, groaning in pain as he bled out.

A third bandit yelled as he swung his sword down at Spike. Spike kicked the second bandit away from him, and felt the rush of air as the blade just missed his face. Spike let out a yell as he swung his sword at the second bandit, while he brought up his right elbow at the thirds face.

The second bandit blocked Spike's blade but Spike's elbow smashed into the thirds face. Spike could feel the bandit's nose break as his strike connected with the man's face. The man fell to the ground in silence as he passed out.

His blade fell to the ground at Spike's feet, the bandit laying still, his blood flowing down his face. Spike brought his right knee up into the bandit's gut and his right fist into the bandit's face.

The last three bandits watched the fight in shock. In only twenty seconds the intruder not only fought off three men, he didn't even get a scratch doing it.

Spike turned and looked at the three bandits; he had a look of rage on his face. The three bandits advanced on Spike but they left five feet of distance between them and him.

Spike took a step forward and the bandits took a step back. Spike took a step to the left and the bandits stepped left so he couldn't advance.

'At least their learning, they know I can beat them in a close combat fight. Their staying just out of my reach. But close enough that I wouldn't have time to hit them with any magic.

I can't stay here wasting time on them; right now their boss could be fortifying his position. I've got to think of something fast.' Spike kept his eyes on the three bandits but he kept glancing around every few seconds.

He saw another barrel of gun powder next to the hut to his right. He looked back at the bandits and took a few steps right. The bandits stepped right to block him, Spike took a few steps back and the bandits advanced on him.

Spike steeled up his nerves and took a deep breath. He faked a lunge at the bandits at the same time as he shot a fireball at the barrel.

The bandits jumped back, falling for Spike's feint. Time seemed to slow as the bandits watched the fireball travel toward the gunpowder. They opened their mouths about to scream when the barrel exploded.

The three men were thrown down the path in a shower of wood and fire. Spike watched them fall and then looked back up the path. There were two more bandits loading their rifles, crouched behind a wall of sandbags.

Spike dashed to the outcrop of rocks to his left and ducked behind them. He just got behind cover when the heard a shot bounce off the rocks right in front of him. He tried to look out past the rocks when a second shot bounced off the rocks in front of his face.

'Suppressing fire, Saker is teaching his men some military tactics. I got to keep pressing them or they'll get the upper hand.' Spike looked around but didn't see anything useful near him.

He hit his head against the rock in frustration. His eyes shot open and he looked up at the bandana still on his head. He ripped it off his head and put it on his swords point.

He pulled out his pistol and slowly moved his sword point to the left side of the rocks. He jerked the sword to the left and the bandana went flying left. The bandits both shot the bandana as it flew out from behind the rocks.

They both watched the red bandana hit the floor and turned in time to hear a gunshot. The bandit on the left let fell backwards as blood spilled from his throat. He let out wet sputters and gurgles as he held his bleeding throat.

Spike ran at the second bandit and jumped over the sandbags. The bandit had enough time to see a knee rocketing toward his face before everything went black. Spike landed on his knees and the bandit hit the ground hard.

Spike took a few deep breathes to calm himself down. He brain was running a mile a minute and he had spots popping in his vision.

Spike slowed his breathing as his brain slowed down. He used his sword the push himself up into a standing position and he ran his right hand through his hair.

"Shit! These guys aren't half bad, fighting wise." He took a few more breathes and pulled out a health potion. He pulled the cork off with his teeth and downed the whole bottle.

Almost immediately he felt a rush of energy and warmth shoot through his aching body. He shoved the empty bottle into a pocket and ran along the path. He ran passed another hut and a few cannons.

The path went up as Spike went forwards and he made it to the top of the hill looking around. The path went right and stopped at a large wooden gate. The path cut right and up another hill.

Spike ran to the hill and heard loud snarling. Three wolves jumped down the hill at him, their fangs exposed. Spike brought up his sword and blocked one of the wolves. The other two landed next to him.

Spike pulled out his pistol and shot the one on his right. The lead wolf growled as it held onto his blade.

"Let go!" Spike kicked it in the head and shot a fireball to his left to fend off the second wolf. Spike swung his sword at the second wolf and sliced through the back of its neck. He shot a fireball at the lead and it hit it in the side.

Spike went up the hill to see two bandits standing next to a few empty cages. They looked at Spike in shock, how was he still alive? Spike ran at them and kicked the first one into a cage. The second one went for his sword but found Spike's pistol in his face.

"Don't even think about it." The bandit put up his hands in defeat and Spike motioned his gun to the right. The bandit went to the right and Spike backed him up to a cage.

"Get in" The bandit nodded his head and hunched down and crawled into the cage. Spike pulled the bandits sword away from him and slammed the cage closed. He rand down the path and made it to a final clearing with a gate to the left.

He reached the gate but it was locked closed. Spike shot a fireball at it, he rammed his shoulder into it, and he even kicked it. All the kicking accomplished was cause him pain in his foot.

He growled in frustration and looked around, he saw the gunpowder and it gave him an idea.

The bandits crowded around the gate and looked at one another. The intruder was on the other side of the gate but it went quiet a few minutes ago. Could he have left already? Was he looking for another entrance?

They suddenly heard a loud scraping sound as something was being dragged across the ground, and it was on the other side of the gate. The scrapping stopped and all was quiet again.

They looked at one another in confusion and back at the gate.

Suddenly the gate exploded in a splintering of wood as a cannon ball came rocketing through the gate. The bandits were blown in every direction from the force of the explosion.

The smoke cleared and they saw the intruder with a torch in one hand and his foot on the cannons wheel.

Spike walked through the gate and looked around. It looked like he walked into a wooden rundown arena. He looked around and saw bandits along the top of the walls.

'This is not good." He looked at all the jeering bandits, some were yelling profanities, some were shaking their swords, and some were just sitting there drinking.

"Leave him!" Spike looked up to see a man on the tallest wall. The man was almost bald with a single black Mohawk on the top of his head. He was wearing a black military jacket and boots.

The jacked had seen better days. Its sleeves were missing; it had tears, stains, and wear marks all over it. The man easily stood at eight feet tall and looked like a wall of muscle. His arms were solid muscle with a few scars on them.

The man had a round head and a scar going across his left eye. The eye was a milky white and obviously nonfunctioning. He also had a single cigar in his mouth, which he puffed every few seconds.

"You're the one they call Saker right? The leader of this rabble?" Saker gave a booming laugh as he looked down on the prince.

"The one and only! And who might you be, you little runt? You don't look like a military man to me, too soft. You're not a peasant either, or you wouldn't have made it past the first gate. You don't look like a mercenary either, too clean."

Spike pulled off the fake facial hair and rubbed off the fake tattoo. He smiled up at Saker and crossed his arms.

"Not bad Saker. Your right I'm not military, civilian, or a sell sword. I'm actually the prince in Albion." The bandits all around laughed at that, Saker included.

"Nice try boy, but the prince is dead. We all heard about it already. The prince gave his life to save a few worthless peasants. His brother shot him in the chest and everything!" Spike chuckled lightly and opened the jacket.

"Yeah, and it hurt like hell! But a bullet won't kill you if it hits a metal pendant first!" Spike pointed to his chest, indicating the black and blue bruise he still had. Saker leaned forward slightly and focused his good eye on Spike's chest.

"Well I guess that makes you one lucky sod, that or just a ghost. Either way I get to kill you myself, seeing as you killed some of my men." Saker jumped down and landed a few feet away from Spike.

He put up his hands and advanced on Spike. Spike pulled out his sword and dashed at Saker. Saker threw a punch at spike's head but he ducked and swung at Saker's face.

Saker caught Spike's word with his left hand laughed. "You got ta do better then that boy. I'm no lowly bandit!" He backhanded Spike with his right hand and sent Spike to the ground.

Spike rolled over and saw Saker's foot flying at his head. He rolled away just in time as Saker's foot hit dirt. Spike pushed himself up and held his hands up in front of him. Saker gave another laugh and moved his cigar to the other side of his mouth.

"You don't have the strength to fight me hand to hand boy!" He slouched down and charged at Spike. Spike rolled to the side to avoid Saker's charge. Saker stopped a few feet away and turned to face Spike.

"You can't avoid me forever boy!" Spike ran at Saker and ducked under one of Saker's punches. Spike Punched Saker in the chest and felt pain shoot up his arm. He rolled away as Saker tried to grab Spike in a bear hug.

"Nice try sonny Jim, but my bodies nothing but muscle. You'd have better luck punching through a wall." Spike held his left hand in his right and glared at Saker.

"Then I'll just have to find a vulnerable point somewhere else." Saker just laughed again gave his cigar a puff.

"Gotta admire your spirit laddie, but your outclassed." Spike looked past Saker and saw his sword lying on the ground. He rushed at Saker again and Saker planted his feet into the ground.

Spike jumped up and kicked at Saker's head. Saker grabbed him leg and swung Spike around like a rag doll. He threw Spike across the arena and Spike could here Saker's men laugh.

Saker turned slowly on the spot and held up his hands laughing. The men cheered at him and a few shouted insults at Spike. Spike put his hand on the ground and pushed himself up. He looked down and saw his sword at his feet.

"The fights not over yet Saker! You've just given me back my sword!" Saker whirled around and saw Spike standing there with his sword in hand. He looked at the ground were Spike landed and back up at him.

"Very clever boy, you wanted me to throw you there. It was all to get you sword back, not a bad move." He laughed and charged at Spike again. Spike sidestepped and slashed his sword down at Saker.

His sword sliced down Saker's left arm and he let out a roar of pain. Saker slid to a halt a few feet from Spike and held his left arm with his right. Spike smirked at Saker and held his sword at the ready.

Saker gave a bellow of rage and charged at Spike again. He held his arms out to catch Spike if he sidestepped again. But Spike hopped to the left and dropped down narrowly missing Saker's arm.

He slashed Saker's right leg and rolled away. Saker roared when he got slashed and swung both his fists down to slam the ground. Spike spun around and saw Saker huffing loudly.

"The tables have turned Saker; you can't beat me when I have my sword." Saker glared at him and let out a laugh.

"I'm not beat yet boy." He pulled something from behind his back and brought it to his face. There was a sudden hissing sound and Saker stretched his arm back about to throw what was in his hand.

Spike realized it was a bomb just as Saker threw it at Spike. Spike thrust his right hand forward and a fireball shot out at the bomb. It met the bomb halfway and both exploded loudly.

Saker looked stunned, and his men all went quiet. Spike stood there with his sword in his left hand and his right still outstretched. Saker knelt down slowly and let his arms go slack.

"You could have used that on me at any time. Enough! I know when I'm beaten. I give up, kill me or don't. Just … just let my men go free." Spike looked down at Saker and Saker's men were all whispering to each other.

"My men will abide by your decision, whatever it may be. We won't bother the dwellers anymore, we swear it. We may be bandits but we have a sense of code, like all soldiers do."

They had never seen Saker loose a fight, let alone plead for mercy. Spike looked down at him for a few minutes before he walked up to him. Saker looked up at Spike just in time to get punched in the face.

His cigar went flying and Saker looked back up at him.

"You are an arrogant, loud mouthed, ugly, moron! You ask for mercy when you offer none to your enemies!" Spike yelled at Saker, but Saker just looked at him helplessly.

"You terrorize innocent people when you should be helping them! I can understand needing food, but you don't have to steal it from others! They would have gladly shared it with you for a few odd jobs!" Saker finally looked him in the eyes and spoke in a low angry voice.

"It doesn't matter now; my men are finished because of you. Your brother made us all outlaws because we refused to fight his pointless wars. We were hunted like animals and slaughtered like dogs." He glared up at Spike as if daring him to deny it.

"Then it's your lucky day. I'm starting a revolution against my brother. He has become corrupted by power and is slowly destroying Albion. If your men swear to help me stop my brother and they help the people instead of attacking them, then I'll let them go free."

Saker sneered up at Spike. "And why should we believe you?" Spike held out his hand for Saker to grab.

"Because I give you my word as a Prince." Saker looked at Spike and then at his outstretched hand. He sat there for a second and finally took Spike's hand. Spike pulled him up and helped Saker stand.

"I swear my loyalty and that of my men to you, as long as you make it so we can have normal lives." Spike smiled and helped Saker to the nearest hut for medical attention.


	5. A Long Start

I want to say sorry to you guys. I didn't mean to take so long for this chapter to come out. I know it isn't long but i'll try to make the next ones better. I had a bit of writers block for this chapter and dind;t know how the hell i anted it to go.

Anyway here is the 5th chapter.

Spike teleported to the sanctum and let out a loud sigh. He pulled off the jacket and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Jasper? Where are you?" Drake walked past him and ran through one of the doorways. Spike walked up to the Albion map and leaned against it, still rubbing his neck. He heard a bark and a loud bang come from the room on the far right.

Spike got up and walked through the doorway. He entered a large square room, filled with old furniture. The room was the size of a warehouse. The ceiling was flat and the walls stretched over fifteen feet high.

Spike shook his head at the furniture and though 'How the hell did they even get this stuff in here, and why?' He walked through the rows of furniture at a slow pace. All of the furniture was old, wooden, and some even had started to rot away.

Some of them were covered in a fine layer of dust while others had been wiped down with a rag. Spike saw one with a wet streak near the bottom. On closer inspection he saw that it was dust smeared with drool.

Spike walked down that direction and soon came to the back of the room. He turned right and saw Drake pacing next to an overturned dresser. Spike walked over to the dresser and looked at Drake.

Drake walked up to the dresser and pawed at it a few times. He gave Spike a sad look and a small whimper. Spike bent down and looked at the dresser. There wasn't any sign of Jasper but there were dirty rags on an end table near the dresser.

"Jasper! You in here!? I think Drake knocked over one of the old dressers." He looked around and placed his hand on the dresser. There was no sign of Jasper anywhere.

"Pardon me young master but please remove the dresser." Spike let out a startled yell and fell over backwards. Jasper's voice came from inside the dresser! Spike looked at Drake as if he could confirm this and Drake just let out a whine.

Spike inched over to the dresser and put a hand on it. He lifted it slightly and put his other hand under the dresser. Spike planted his feet and slowly lifted the side of the dresser. It rolled onto its side with a low thump.

Spike opened the doors and had to stifle a laugh. Jasper was crammed into the dresser with his hands over his head and his legs folded under him. He had a dirty rag in one hand and a scowl on his face.

"A-are you ok Jasper?" Spike was barely able to get that sentence out without bursting into a fit of laughter.

"Yes well, as funny as my appearance undoubtedly is. Please help me out of here." Spike gave him his hand and Jasper took it firmly. Spike gave a light tug but Jasper refused to budge.

"I think my arms and legs have temporarily locked up on me. It might take some effort to get me out of here." Spike nodded mutely and let out a small snicker from behind his other hand. He grabbed Jasper's hand with both of his and gave a firm tug.

Jasper flopped out of the dresser and fell to the floor in a heap. Spike bent down and helped Jasper up slowly as he dusted himself off.

"How did that even happen?" Spike asked as Drake bounded around wagging his tail.

"I was minding my own business cleaning the dresser with a rag. I was in the dresser trying to get a heavily dusty corner clean when Drake jumped on the back end and tipped it over."

Jasper gave Drake a glare as he straightened his clothes. Drake just jumped on Jasper and gave him a few licks to the face.

"That is quiet enough!" Jasper pushed Drake off and wiped his face with his hands. Drake looked at Spike and wagged his tail. Spike was heaving with silent laughter as he watched the two of them.

"He's trying to apologies to you Jasper. You know he loves you."

"Yes well, I wouldn't mind a little less lover. Or at least less licking and slobber." Spike just shook his head and gave Drake a few pats on the head.

"Anyway, I came to see how you're doing in here. Find anything interesting in the Sanctuary yet?" Jasper finished wiping his face and let out a sniff.

"Actually I found a few interesting rooms. I found a personal treasury room for you to store your valuables and trophies. I found a sleeping chamber complete with a four poster bed. I even found a personal wash room for you to bath in."

Spike smiled at him and pat Jasper on the back.

"A bath sounds wonderful right now. Would you like to join me? I bet you want to remove all the dust you've collected." Jasper gave a small smile but shook his head no.

"Id rather finish cleaning the furniture right now. I'll bathe later on, but I'll draw you one if you want to bathe right now." Spike put up his hand to stop Jasper.

"Don't worry about it Jasper. I'll draw my own bath and I'll take Drake with me. That way you can clean in peace and we can clean off." Spike pats his leg at Drake and walked out of the room.

"Very good sir, the bathroom is two floors down on the left." Jasper called out to him as he turned back to the overturned dresser.

Spike sat down let the hot bath water wash over his chest. He let out a sigh as he felt his muscles relax and his bruises didn't throb as much. He glanced around the room as he sat in the steaming water.

The bathroom was an amazing sight. The walls were made of white marble and had a domed ceiling. The room was at least a hundred feet wide and circular. The walls had white columns two feet wide reaching from floor to ceiling every few feet.

The columns were an Ionic style with curved capitals on either end. There were four ten foot wide mini baths and one large fifty foot wide bath. The walls had paintings and Mosaics carved into the walls.

The pictures were all depicting water. There were a few pictures of people bathing in rivers or of boats sailing across lakes. There were even a few Mosaics of mermaids and Nereids.

Spike picked up a cloth and dunked it in the water. He pulled it up and wiped down his chest slowly. His hand was half way down when he felt pain shoot up his side. Spike looked down and saw a large bruise where Saker had punched him earlier that day.

He spent the rest of his bath examining his body for more injuries he had received from his fight with Saker's bandits.

Jasper came in with a set of clean and folded clothes. He walked to the edge of the bath and set them down on the floor.

"I took the liberty of cleaning your clothes while you were gone sir." Jasper turned to leave but stopped suddenly.

"My word sir! Are you alright? Your entire body is covered in cuts and bruises!" Spike put his hand up and shook his head.

"I'm alright Jasper, they look worse than they are. I've had far worse from all my training sessions with Walter." Spike got up slowly and grabbed a towel. He wrapped it around his waist and stepped out of the water.

"The bath is all yours now, I'm going to get changed and head back to the village." Spike pat Jasper on the back and walked out with his clothing.

Spike walked back to the village walls with Drake bounding at his side. He made it to the gate and waved at the guards as he walked through them. His muscles still ached with a dull throb, with slowed his trek to the pub.

He half expected Walter to be waiting for him outside the pub. Unfortunately he wasn't so he walked up the steps to the second story of the pub. Walter was waiting for him at the table, along with the librarian Samuel.

"Ha, you see Samuel he did it. I told you he'd be able to beat Saker!" Walter pat Samuel on the back and took a swig from his tankard.

"Indeed, we were just talking about your work of ridding us of Saker. The village will prosper now that he and his bandits are gone. "

"Yes, now that he's gone, Sabine and the dwellers will be able to have a little peace now. I've been informing Samuel about the trouble the dwellers are facing. And he thinks that he might be able to help them."

"Yes.. W-well of course.." Samuel began to stutter at the change of topic. "The thing is, Brightwall does not have much of an abundant amount of supplies either. The king's high levies make life here barely comfortable if that."

"But-" Walter gave him an expectant stare and Spike just let out a sigh.

"But, if you were to improve things around Brightwall, the people would be most grateful. When people are grateful, they are also charitable." Spike pulled out the remaining chair and sat down.

"So you want me to go around the village doing random chores for the people, in hopes that they will be happy enough to return the favor?" Samuel gave Spike a small nod and Spike let out an exhausted sigh.

"I guess I'd better make myself comfortable then. No telling how long it will take for them to approve of me." Walter gave him a small pat on the back and Spike gave him a weary look.

'Well, it looks like I'll be here a while. Guess I'll have to find a job of some sort, something tells me, my journey just got a lot longer.'

Once again i'm sorry guys. I know this chapters not that great but at least i got it out so i can get to the good parts faster. If any of you guys have any comments or ideas just let me know i a review, i'll give you guys full credit for anything you say that i put in my story.

P.S. Lord Halcyon- I' can't tell you guys who gave him the pendant yet because its a main part of the story. But don't worry, i'll let you guys know when it gets revealed.


	6. Painful first steps and Thinking of You

Ok guys, here is the next chapter in my story. You guys should be giving a big thank you to Lord Halcyon. He gave me the idea to write this chapter, and helped me get past some of my writers block. Anyway, on with the story.

The sun rose in a slow golden hue, spreading light across the grounds and the Victorian style mansion. The birds flew through the air on their morning hunt for food. It was looking to be another beautiful day in Albion.

But one person wasn't looking forward to the day. They didn't care about the flowers blooming, the sweet smell of honeysuckle, or the cool breezes on the warm day. This person was in their room with the curtains drawn.

They hadn't left their room in two weeks, let alone enjoy the warm days. The only sounds coming from the room were soft sobs of a broken heart.

Elise was sitting in her bed, just staring at her feet. Her hair was in a disheveled mess with knots and tangles all over it. Her eyes were puffy and red from the constant crying. Her face was turning pale from the lack of sun.

She was still wearing the same clothes she had on two weeks ago.

There was a small knock on her door but she didn't even seem to notice. Elise just kept staring at her feet without moving.

"Elise, honey?" The door opened and a woman with long chocolate brown hair stuck here head inside. The woman waited a moment then slowly walked into the room. She looked a lot like Elise but older.

The woman was in her late forties had here hair down to here hip. She looked like an older version of Elise except for her hair color. She walked with an air of confidence but let off radiant warmth.

Her eyes held love and kindness in them. Her face was smooth and had no traces of a wrinkle on them. She might have been in her forties but she looked no older than her late twenties.

She sat down on Elise's bed and pulled her into a comforting embrace. Elise let out more sobs and a fresh set of tears. Her mom just rubbed her back and hummed lightly. Elise kept crying as she clutched her mother's clothes.

The two of them sat there for a few minutes as Elise cried onto her moms shoulder. Her mom just sat there and held her daughter close to her. She rubbed her back slowly and hummed a soft tune.

Finally Elise's crying slowed down and she was able to catch her breathe. She slowly pulled away from her mother and wiped her eyes. Elise's mom put her hand on Elise's cheek and gently rubbed it with her thumb.

"I know sweetie, I know. It hurts so much now that he's gone; it feels like you'll never get through it. But you have to remember who Spike was, he wouldn't want you to sit here and sulk.

"Spike always saw the best in people; he never wanted anyone to feel sad. I remember when you guys were just children. The two of you would try to help anyone you could however you could.

You need to eat something and get out of this room." She took Elise's hands in her own and gave her a pleading look. Elise's throat was dry and sore, making it harder to talk.

"B-but mom, I don't know if I can. It hurts, it just hurts too much." Her eyes stung and she felt a fresh wave of tears come forth. Elise's mom put her hand on Elise's cheek again and made Elise look at her.

"I know it does honey, but I kneed you to try. I need you to try, if not for me then for Spike." Elise just looked at her for a minute and finally shook her head yes. Her mom gave her a smile and stood up.

"Why don't you take a nice long bath, it might make you feel a little better. I'll have your sister bring up some food for you to eat, then try to find something to do outside." Her mom turned and walked out of the room closing the door softly.

Elise had finished her bath and had just finished putting on a fresh, clean outfit. She sat down at her vanity and looked in the mirror. Her face was clean but she still looked pale and thin. She just picked up a hairbrush and began to slowly brush her hair. When her door suddenly banged open and her sister stepped inside with a tray.

"I see you finally decided not to sit there and mope, talk about a pointless spectacle little sister." She walked over to Elise's bed and set the tray down. Elise gave her sister a glare through the mirror and continued to brush her hair.

Her sister had short brown hair that was curled all over. She was a few inches taller then Elise, and she had dark blue eyes. She wore a green dress made in the same style as Elise.

"What do you want Eleanor? I expect it's more then to bring me some food considering the facts your still here." Eleanor gave Elise a snide smirk.

"Why, I came to check on my pathetic little sister." She walked up to Elise and hunched down behind her. She looked at Elise's reflection and put her hands on Elise's shoulders.

"I have to say I'm impressed none the less. You get engaged to a wealthy man and get him killed all before you even get married. If you were going for his money honey, you needed to **get** married first."

Elise whipped around but her sister jumped backwards and out of striking distance. She smiled at Elise who was fuming and glaring at her.

"Well I don't mid that he died, he always seemed useless to me. All this helping people business, he didn't understand the way of the world. Only the ones with power matter, not the simple commoner trash."

She put her hands up in a confused gesture and shook her head as she continued.

"If it were me, I'd have gone after Logan the king or even Reaver. Now there are fine men." What happened next happened in a flash. Eleanor blinked and found herself on the floor.

Elise had jumped at her and started to slap her sister. Eleanor was hit three times before she put her hands up to shield her face. Elise just kept hitting her sister's hands not caring if she drew blood or not.

.

"Don't you ever say that again! I hate Logan! That bastard killed his brother!" She started to cry again as she hit her sister. Her blows getting weaker by the hit.

"He killed his brother." She finally stopped hitting her sister and slumped to the side. Eleanor blinked a couple of times and looked at her sister in shock. They sat there for second before Eleanor shot up and ran from the room.

Elise sat there and cried for a few minutes, completely forgetting the food on the tray.

Elise had found herself walking absentmindedly through the market place a few hours after her fight with her sister. Her mother came in to check on her a few minutes after Eleanor left, to find her crying again.

She held Elise in a hug again and asked her to explain what happened. Elise had a hard time telling her mother what Eleanor said between sobs, but her mother sat there patiently waiting for her to catch her breathe.

Her mother had cheered her up by saying that they would go on a trip when Elise was feeling better. Elise gave her a small smile and began to eat her food.

She was walking around the market when she heard something that made her stop in her tracks. She heard laughter from two little kids coming from behind her. She turned to see a little boy and girl running around in front of the clock tower.

The boy and girl were playing tag and just having fun. The girl suddenly tripped and fell to the ground. She sat up slowly and looked at the ground. She began to sniffle as tears formed in her eyes, when the boy ran over to her.

"It's ok Katie, don't cry" He held out his hand to her and the girl looked at him for a moment. She slowly took his hand and pulled herself up. The boy gave her a hug and the girl sniffled again.

The boy pulled away and gave the girl a smile, the girl gave him a smile and they began to run around again.

"We were the same way when we were kids weren't we Spike?" She said to herself and smiled at the memory. She walked around for a few more hours until she started to feel hungry.

She stopped at a bread stall and bought two loafs of bread. She walked to the bridge and leaned against the railing, nibbling at one of the loafs. She sat there for a minute when she heard a commotion coming from the stall she just left.

The two children from earlier were at the stall with the stall woman yelling at them.

"I don't care if you're hungry! You need coin to buy my bread! What do you think I make this bread for free! That I have nothing better to do than to give it away!" The kids were standing there with tears in their eyes and cringed ever time she yelled at them.

Elise walked over to the stall and interrupted the woman's ranting.

"That's enough of that! I think they get the point without you screaming at them." The woman glared at Elise before she shot back.

"And who are you, talking to me like that?! These brats 'ave been begging for food from me for the last week!" Elsie glared at her and balled up her fists.

"That doesn't give you the right to yell at the less fortunate. A little kindness never killed anyone." Elise turned around and knelt down in front of the two children.

"Here" she took her second oaf and ripped it in half. She gave each of them one of the halves and pat them on ht head. The kids gave her twin smiles before running off with their bread.

Elise gave the woman a glare and walked off toward Bowerstone Industrial.

Elise sat down on her bed and pulled off her shoes. Her day had been less eventful after she gave the two children her bread. She had come home to find her sister was furious with her.

Not only had Elise gotten away with hitting her, she was in trouble for provoking Elise into doing it. She refused to even look at Elise let alone talk with her. Their mother ignored the hostility and ate dinner with them in silence.

After dinner she told Elise she wanted her to go out tomorrow and finds something to do. It didn't matter as long as it meant she got some sunlight and fresh air. Elise nodded and bayed her mother good night.

Elise took her hair out of its bun and let it fall onto her back. She took her night clothes and quickly changed in her bathroom. She had just tucked herself into her bed when a thought hit her.

'Maybe I should try to find a way to help all the less fortunate of Albion. Spike would do the same thing if he were here in my place.' She rolled over and felt herself drift off into dream land.

Her dream was a familiar one; she was sitting in the castle garden surrounded by flowers. She could never see father than the flowerbed either, a white fog was always there, blocking her from the rest of the world. So she would sit there with the flowers, and think about Spike. He would never come but she would sometimes hear distant barking around her.

She had tried to find the source of the barking numerous times but never could. Every time she tried to walk through the fog, it just seemed as if the flowerbed stretched on forever.

She tried calling out to the barking, hoping it was Drake so she could have at least some form of company. If she strained her ears she could sometimes hear people whispering. Some sounded familiar while others she knew she had never heard in her life.

Tonight she just sat in the flowerbed and looked at all of the flowers. She would name the types of flowers as she went, running her hands over each one in turn. Lavender, Juniper, Lilies, Daisies, even Orchids. She use to love sitting in the royal garden with Spike and just bask in their soothing aromas.

She had just finished smelling a bird of paradise when her dream suddenly changed. Everything shimmered out if focus slightly then back in. She looked around and suddenly heard footsteps behind her.

She felt her heart hammer in her chest as she sat there fearful of who it was. She heard the figure knelt down behind her and felt a pair of familiar arms wrap around her. She quickly spun around and found herself face to face with Spike.

He gave her his charming smile and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Spike gently cupped her cheeks and wiped away her tears as they fell.

"I've missed you so much" she said as she looked into his eyes. Spike just gave a small chuckle and pressed his forehead to hers.

"Not nearly as much as I missed you Elise." She let out a laugh and Spike pressed his lips against hers. It felt so real to her; she could almost feel the warms from his body, the tingle of his lips on hers.

They kept giving each other light kisses as they slowly laid down in the flowers. They continued with feather light kisses as Spike rolled Elise on top of his body. Elise straddled his waist as she kissed him.

Spike ran his hands up and down Elise's back and he looked into her eyes. He could get lost in those bright blue eyes of hers. They sparkled with life and love, and reminded him of the endless blue sky.

She stared into his dark brown eyes and let out a content sigh. His eyes reminded her of the earth, hard and unyielding but at the same time soft and embracing. She never felt scared or nervous as long as she could look into his eyes.

She kissed him again and slowly ran her hands up and down his chest. Spike wrapped his arms around her and softly rubbed his thumbs over her back. Elise felt a warmth rise from her waist and she kissed him harder.

Spike kissed her back with equal passion and he slowly slipped his tongue into her mouth. Elise moaned into his mouth and slid her hands into his shirt.

"Elise" Spike moaned as he felt her hands run over his bare chest. Elise craved more; she couldn't take this minimal amount of skin on skin contact. She ripped open Spike's shirt and ran both hands over his chest.

Spike's hands glided down Elise's back and found the end of her nightgown. He slides his hands under her gown and slowly slid them up her bare back. Elise broke their kissing session and began to plant kisses down Spike's face.

Spike let out a moan as Elise kissed a path down his throat and across his chest. She stopped when she got to the place where she saw Logan's shot enter his body. She thought the mood was killed when she expected to see a bloody bullet hole there.

She was surprised when she didn't see one, but saw a circular scar with thin threads spreading out a few inches in every direction. She looked up at him with confusion but spike quickly pulled her up to face him again.

"Don't worry about it. For now, just stay here with me." She nodded and kissed him again. Spike rolled them over so that Elise was lying on the flowerbed. Spike hooked his fingers under the bottom of her gowns shirt and slowly pulled it up.

The silken fabric glided over her skin as she raised her arms to free the shirt from her body. She let her arms rest on the flowers above her head, as she looked at Spike. Spike took in her body and gave her a look of pure adoration.

"You're so beautiful Elise." He slowly leaned down to kiss her again. Just as their lips were about to meet, Elise woke with a start. She bolted upright and looked around for the reason why she suddenly woke up.

There was nothing, no one was in here room and there weren't any sounds coming from anywhere in the house. She let out a quiet sob and flopped back down on her bed.

'Why? Why did I have to wake up? My dream was so real, I could almost feel him there with me. Why can't I have just a moment's peace? Haven't I suffered enough already?'

She covered her eyes with her hands and began to softly cry herself back to sleep. Little did Elise know that another person had woken with a start the same exact time that she did. She didn't know it but he was also cursing himself for waking from his momentary reprise.

Ok, i know what you guys are thinking. So friggin close, but i had to end it there. I'm kicking myself for ending it there but it is relevent to the story. You'll find out why and how in a chapter or two, but not right now. I want to see if you guys can figure out why and how it happened.

Think of is as feedback to the writer. It's interesting the things people can come up with given the chance. You guys might get it in the first shot, you might go off in a completley different direction. Either way its cool to see how you guys think and reason.

Well thats it for now, i have to nurse my paintball wound to my jugular with some more ice. As always read, review if you want, and enjoy.


	7. New Enemies and New Friends

Ok i want to say I'm sorry to all you guys who have been waiting for me to add another chapter to this story. This chapter was basically done three days ago but I got distracted by Megacon and didn't get to finish the little that was left. I'm not making any excuses and I understand if you guys are pissed off at me.

I want to thank Lord Halcyon for helping me figure out how to get past one part i was stuck at. So enjoy the chapter guys and as always review if you want to.

Spike slowly made his way through the village. His eyes were bloodshot, his brain was in a fog, and every step felt like his legs would give out from underneath him. He rubbed his eyes and let out a yawn.

'Today is going to be hell.' He rubbed his head and made it to the village market place. He looked around the village watching the early morning townspeople. He walked toward the Blacksmith and saw that it was closed.

He walked up to the forge and opened the door. The coals were black and it was stone cold on the inside. Spike walked behind the forge and found a large sack of coal. He hefted the bag over his shoulder and carried it to the front of the forge.

He threw a few new coals into the forge and set the bag next to the buildings wall. He then walked to the wood pile and grabbed a few logs. He set the logs on top of the coals and set some twigs and hay next to the logs.

Spike gave his gauntlet a small charge and smacked his hand inside the forge. A ring of fire shot out from his hand and ignited the hay. The fire crackled as it ignited the twigs and heated up the coals.

The fire would take at least half an hour until it was hot enough to work with. Spike leaned against the anvil and watched the flames flicker as they grew. He though back to the reason he was even up this early.

His dream felt so real to him, it was like he was actually there with Elise. He could smell her perfume, the smell lavender and jasmine. He though flowers suited Elise more than anything.

She was open, beautiful, and loving, but he knew about her other side as well. She was strong and dangerous at the same time just like a flowers thorns. Spike knew just how dangerous, having gotten on her bad side at least once while growing up.

He missed everything about Elise and her company; he needed someone to help him clear his head. All of the problems he fixed couldn't distract him from the ones he hade yet to face.

Spike still had no idea how he was going to stop his brother. He knew the people were suffering, he could see it plain as day. But how could he stop Logan? What if Logan didn't give up his rule peacefully? What if he found out that Spike was still alive and went after Elise for it? What would happen to everyone if the revolution failed?!

These thoughts were buzzing around inside his head ever since he had that talk with Walter at the pub. Nothing he did would banish them from his mind. No amount of work he did, nor how tired he made himself, the thoughts would always come back.

They even invade his dreams, showing him dark visions of Logan killing his friends or a giant blackness swallowing up the kingdom. Spike's only safe haven from them was fighting. When he was in a fight his brain shut everything else down.

It didn't matter who he was fighting or what his worries were. When he was in a fight for his life, the only thing that mattered was him and his opponent. His strength versus his opponents, his will versus theirs.

Spike hated that it took fighting for him to have any peace of mind. It made him feel dirty, like a drunk just waiting for the thrill of bloodshed. He didn't want to become a mindless killer, but the pressure those thoughts gave him was torture in itself.

Spike was so wrapped up in his own mind that he didn't notice that the forge was in full blaze. It took a large blast of heat to the face for him to notice that he could start his work.

Spike was hard at work, hammering on a sword when the weapon shop owner decided to finally show up. He was surprised to see Spike working so early in the morning. Sure he gave Spike a part time job hammering and shaping swords for his shop. But he never saw Spike work anytime before noon.

The shop keeper was an average looking man in his late forties. He had a full head of red hair that came down to his shoulders tied into a ponytail at the base of his skull.

He had light brown eyes and he had a thin mustache that curved down and around his mouth.

He opened the shop door and walked inside. Spike could hear him set up the displays and unlock the weapons cases inside. Then he saw the shopkeeper exit the store and walks up to him.

"Bit of a surprise to see ya here so early this mornin. You're usually runnin around trying ta help the rest of the village or tryin ta rally support for your revolution." He stopped a few feet from Spike and looked at what he was working on.

Spike was trying to shape a five foot long piece of metal into a simple blade. Although right now it looked like a dented piece of iron. The shop keep smiled and shook his head from side to side.

"Taking your anger out on a piece of metal isn gonna give you any peace of mind lad. Why don't you tell me what's wrong, see if I can help ya?" Spike stopped hammering on the sword and looked up at the shop keep.

"I don't think you'll be much help to me Duncan, not unless you know a way for me to have some dreamless sleep." Duncan saw the bags under Spike's eyes and the veins webbing across his eyeballs.

"Sorry can't help ya there lad. But I do know of a good way ta relieve stress." Spike let out a sigh and looked down at the anvil.

"Let me guess, does it involve drinking?" Duncan let out a laugh and crossed his arms over his chest.

"No lad, surprisingly it doesn't. It involves something even better than that." Duncan lowered his voice and leaned closer to Spike. Spike looked up at Duncan in puzzlement. He had no idea what Duncan was talking about but he'd be thrilled if it worked.

"What i'm talking about works even better but it involves a dangerous creature. The most dangerous creature of them all." Spike was waiting with baited breath; Duncan really knew how to keep a guy in suspense.

"The method is . . . . . get a hole!" Spike blinked a few times before he answered Duncan.

"Get a what?" He scratched his head and continued to blink at Duncan.

"Get a hole, you know with a burd." Spike blinked at Duncan again and had a confused look on his face.

"Ya don't know what that means?" Spike shook his head and Duncan let out a sigh. "A burd is that dangerous creature I told ya about."

"Duncan, what he hell is a burd? I know enough to know it's not an animal of the feathered kind."

"Na lad, its not. A burd is a lass you've taken a likin to." Duncan was cut short by Spike shaking his head and waving his hands in front of his face.

"Are you saying what I think your saying?" Duncan smirked as he nodded his head yes to Spike. Spike sighed and put his hands down on the anvil.

"While I appreciate the advise, that's not gonna happen. You know what I'm trying to do; you know how dangerous my life is. How can I ask anyone to share that life with me? For all we know, I could die by the end of the week.

Spike ran his hands over his face and let out an exhausted sigh. He looked Duncan in the eyes and shook his head.

"Aye lad, but if ya don't have something to fight for then ya don't have any reason to fight." Duncan gave Spike a smile and turned around. He walked back into the shop and left spike to continue working on the sword.

Later that day a young woman was just stepping out of her house and heading to the market. It was the first time she was going to the old town market since she last went with Spike.

She was wearing a simple yellow dress and had her hair up in a small bun. Her eyes were a little blood shot, having been up all night trying to fall back asleep. She finally gave up after hours of tossing and turning in her bed.

Elise made her way to the marketplace and saw people walking about to marketplace. There was still the ever growing poverty but the people still liked to walk around and see what was for sale.

Elise saw the woman she had bought bred from the other day and the woman still glared at Elise. Elise paid her no mind and walked past the woman's stall. Elise looked at the other stalls and stopped ever so often.

She was looking at a stall that sold fruit when she felt something gently tug on her skirt. She turned around and saw no one. She looked down and saw the two children she gave her bread to.

"Hello there, how are you guys doing today?" They smiled at her and the girl brought her Elise picked up the flower and smiled at them.

"Is this for me?" They nodded and Elise tucked the flower behind her left ear. The kids giggled and ran off toward the industrial section. Elise ran after them so she could thank them and followed them through the industrial section.

She stopped when she saw them run into a mans arms to give him a hug. The man was of average build, not too tall but not short by any means. He was skinny wand had dirty all over his body and clothes. He had black hair that he kept under a hat.

He was wearing industrial worker clothes and they held the cuts and stains of a hard working man. The man had dark green eyes and his face was clean shaven and thin.

Elise watched as he picked the two children up in a hug and heard them squeal in delight. She smiled and turned to leave when the man saw her and put the children down but he took their hands in his.

"Excuse me miss but can I help you with something?" Elise turned around and shook her head no, with the smile still on her lips.

"No, no I was just seeing where these two children were going. I wanted to make sure that no one gave them any trouble like the other day." The two kids looked at Elise and smiled as they held the mans hands.

"Oh! Was that you that helped them? Little Katelynn here told me about that last night. I can't thank you enough for helping them."

"It was no trouble at all, that woman had no right to say those things. It's hard enough trying to live in this city without having to worry about other people making it harder."

The man nodded his head and the kids nodded as well.

"At least they have an older brother who watches out for them. No all people are as lucky." The man gave her a puzzled look for a second before he replied.

"Oh no. I'm not their brother, their both orphans I found. I take care of them and all the other kids that live on the street. I'll admit it takes a toll, working double shifts and trying to care for them all.

"But its worth it if it means they don't starve or get exploited." He looked down at Katelynn and her brother. They smiled up at him and hugged his sides.

"It sounds like a noble goal." Laszlo was about to say something else when they all heard loud shouting from the open square nearby. Elise turned and looked at the square. The shouting got louder and it sounded angry and violent.

She gave Laszlo a quick look before she ran toward the square and she ran into a growing crowd of people. Each person had on dirty clothes a few with rips and holes in them. It was clear they were all of the poor and working class.

In the center of the crowd was a young woman with dark skin. She had long black hair that was tied back in a multitude of braids. She had a cloth on top if her head keeping her hair back and out of her face.

She had Dark Green eyes the color of pine needles. She had on plain work clothes and pants. Her pants were a dark blue with multiple patches and stains. Her shirt was white and had the same amount of patches and stains in it.

"The people of this land are suffering under the rule of a tyrant! He sits in his castle and lets us suffer because we are poor! The rich spit on us and treat us like dirt!

We slave away in their factories with unsafe working conditions! How many of us are hurt or killed in those factories! How many of you have been maimed by their machines or beaten by the men they have guard it!

They even make our children work in the factories for almost no pay! They're trying to make them nothing but mindless workers they can beat on whenever they choose!"

Elise was stricken by her last comment. She couldn't believe that.

"Excuse me!" She started to make her way through the crowd to the speaker. A few people grunted and some even yelled at her as she pushed past them. The rest of the crowd was still shouting and agreeing with her argument.

Elise was half way through the crowd before she was stopped by people who wouldn't move out of her way. The speaker was shouting again but this time it was about the king himself.

"Our king is no better! He taxes us out of all the coin we own, and still he wants more! He says that we owe him our money for his protection! Yet he lets people like Reaver walk all over us!

What are we paying him for! If his 'protection' isn't from Reaver then who is it from?! He sits in his castle and does nothing to help us! He orders us to do whatever he wants but he executes us for nothing!

He executes people for offences they never even committed! The royal family cares nothing for us working class people! They all sit in their castle and want us to crawl around and obey their every whim!"

"You're wrong!" The crowd stopped its shouting and the woman stopped her yelling and looked down at Elise.

"What was that?" The whole crown parted and everyone looked in Elise's direction. She felt as if their gaze was trying to burn through her whole body.

"I said your wrong. The royal family's not like that. The only one that's like that is Logan; he's that cause of your problems." The woman stared at her for a minute before she could muster a response.

"How would you know? The royals don't care about us! They only care about themselves and their money!" The crowd cheered with her and Elise got a little nervous.

"You're wrong. The prince cared about you. Why do you think he's dead!?" The crowd looked back at the woman and then at Elise again.

"That's just a rumor. The prince isn't dead; he's probably just off on vacation or sick with a fever." The crowd murmured in agreement and turned away from Elise.

"He's not on vacation! His brother Logan shot him in the chest! His own brother killed him because he tried to save people like you!" Elise felt tears running down her cheeks and her legs were shaking slightly.

The crowd turned back to Elise and the woman started to walk up to Elise. She stopped in front of her and gave Elise a stern assessing gaze.

"How do you know? Who are you, that you think you know what's going on up at the castle?" Elise tightened her hands into fists and looked at the woman's feet.

"My names Elise, Elise Victoria. I was a close friend of Price Spike for most of our lives. I was there when Logan shot him in the heart. He was trying to keep Logan from killing innocent people."

The woman was taken aback by Elise opening up so freely. She opened her mouth to say something when they heard shouting on the other side of the square. There were city guards pouring into the square with their rifles at the ready.

"Everyone scatter!" The crowd screamed and people shoot off in every direction. The guards were shouting and grabbing anyone they could reach. Elise stood frozen as she saw a few guards start beating on fleeing people.

She heard someone shout and saw a guard chasing after the speaker. He grabbed at her head as she ran past Elise. Elise saw a sudden flash as she remembered what happened to Spike.

She saw Logan fire his gun and saw Spike hit the ground. Suddenly she was back in the present and the guard was about to catch the woman. Elise felt her leg move and saw the guard trip over her foot.

The guard hand closed over the woman's bandana and it slipped off her head. She ran out of the square and disappeared around a building. Elise watched her go until she felt someone grab her by the shoulders.

The guard she tripped had gotten up and he was the one who grabbed her. She felt him pull her along and he shoved her into the group of people they had caught. She felt her feet catch on a rock and she started to fall.

One of the fellow 'captives' caught her before she fell and he helped her stand up. The guards had their rifles pointed at the group and some even leered at the women.

They didn't have to wait long to find out what was going to happen to them. They heard the steady click of a cane hitting the street before they even saw the man who had it.

The man was a tall six foot five and he was rather thin. He had on a white suit and matching pants and shoes. He wore a black top hat that clashed horribly with his suit and a heart shaped tattoo under his right eye.

The man walked up to one of the guards and ordered him to give a report. The guard kept stuttering as he explained that the protest leader escaped but they caught a few of the other members.

The man swiftly hit the man on the side of the head with his cane and turned to look at the group. The people shuddered in fear and they all huddled behind Elise as if she were a shield.

The man stopped in front of them and gave them disgusted look.

"Another bunch of gutter trash whining about the natural order of things. Why won't you people ever learn that you place is to bow and scrap before your betters." He turned and walked up and down in front of the group.

"But what is this? A woman of noble standing in league with such filth?" He stopped in front of Elise and looked her up and down.

"Who might you be my dear? A wayward soul? An angry noble brat?" Elise looked the man in the eyes and saw amusement in his eyes. He was enjoying the suffering he was inducing on the innocent people behind her.

"My names Elise and there's no point in asking who you are. A man who treats guards and workers like playthings. Your Reaver, the monster the old king should have killed long ago." Reaver made a tuting sound and shook his head.

"Ah yes, I know who you are now. You're the little brat friend of the late Prince. Isn't it your fault the prince is dead anyway?" He smirked at her before he continued. "Such a shame that was"

Elise felt her hands shake and she had a strong urge to slap him. But she also knew that was what he wanted and fought against her instinct. Reaver let out a sigh and tapped his cane on the ground.

"But it seems you know when to strike and not to strike your betters. That and the Kings orders forbidding anyone from harming you are the only reason you get to walk away today." Elise blinked a couple of times and looked at him in shock.

"What about the other people?" Reaver looked at the crowd behind her and rubbed his chin in though. "They will be given double their usual workload and a few days in the dungeon. They will however be left alive, now off with you girl."

He mad a shooing motion with his hands and stared at Elise. She gave the crowd a sad look and looked back at Reaver. One of the guards walked over and addressed Reaver.

"She gets to go free? But sir, that ones the one who tripped me and helped the ringleader escape!" Reaver didn't even look at the man as he swung his cane up at the mans face. It caught him in the chin and blood sprayed from his mouth.

"I gave you an order pawn. Follow it to the letter and never question me again." The guard coughed up blood and two more of them dragged him away before Reaver could hit him any more.

Elise gave the group on last look and slowly walked out of the square. She was half a block away before she ducked into an alleyway. She immediately broke down and began to sob loudly into her hands.

She continued for a few minutes unaware of footsteps growing closer to her. She was sitting on the ground and her hands blocked whatever vision she had through her tears. She kept crying until she heard a loud cough behind her.

She turned and saw the woman from earlier standing a foot away from her. The woman sat down next to her and slowly put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She cried for a few more minutes and the woman just sat there next to her.

She finally stopped and sniffled a few times before looking at the woman.

"Is what Reaver said true?" The woman finally spoke looking at Elise. "Did the prince really die protecting those people?" Elise couldn't speak; her throat was too dry from crying so much.

She nodded slowly and the woman let out a weary sigh. She pats Elise on the shoulder and looked up at the sky.

"I doubled back after I ran off to see if I could help the others. I arrived just in time to hear Reaver's conversation with you. Thank you for helping them by the way." Elise shook her head and looked at the floor.

"I-I didn't do anything, I just walked away." The woman shook her head and looked Elise in the eyes.

"You spoke up for them in front of Reaver. He would have just shot them if you hadn't been there. He would have shot you too if you didn't walk away when you did." She let out a little laugh and looked back up at the sky.

"It's too bad the prince is really dead. He could have helped us against his brother. The people desperately need a Hero now. He'd have been welcome to join us." Elise let out a single sniffle and shook her head no.

"Spike wouldn't have joined you. As much as he would have wanted to help, he'd never raise his sword against his brother. He always looked for a way to avoid needless fighting.

He would help however he could. But not if it meant killing his brother. Logan's he only family he had left. He was closer to Logan then anyone else when we were growing up." The woman gave Elise a soft gaze.

"But he's not here anymore, Logan saw to that." She stood up and offered Elise her hand. "How would you like to help us then? The people still need all the help they can get and you seem to have no love for Logan"

Elise stared at her hand for a minute as her brain went haywire. 'She wants my help? What could I possibly do to help these people? Can I even make a difference to the people? What about my family? Logan won't hurt me but he might attack my family if I openly oppose him.'

Elise though back to Spike and she could see his smiling face and the playful spark in his eyes. She knew the answer before she even realized it. She took the woman's hand and stood up with her help.

"I'll help you, but I can't risk my family's safety, so it has to be secretly." The woman smiled and her and nodded her head.

"Welcome to the revolution, my names Page by the way."

So what did you guys think? I'm trying to giveElise a bit more active role in the story as well as making the resistance fighters a larger role. Lord Halcyon said that it felt like they didn't really do anything before you get to them and i kind of agree with him.

Anyway, send me a review if you want and hopefully it wont take anywhere near as long as it did for me to finish this one.

P.S. Oh Sons of Olympians while i respect your point of view. please read more then the first chapter of a story before you yell at someone. that ME3 shot hurt a lot. And for the record i feel the same way about the ending. The game was great but from the beam rush on it just sucked and went agains the ME storyline.


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